A Smile Apart
by gamergirl104
Summary: Part 2 of Never Stop Smiling Part 1...So it's been over a year. He's still alive, yet she doesn't even know he exists. It appears that fate has taken a different turn. TakumaxOC
1. One Year Later

**And here it is: the first chapter of Part 2 - One Year Later...**

**Read and enjoy.**

**I do not own VK.**

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Shiki turned to Rima. "Do you have to look so angry? You'll scare off all the guests." She crossed her arms even tighter.

"I told you. I didn't even want to come in the first place."

"They're my cousins. I want to be there for them. Besides Kaname – "

"Kaname this, Kaname that…Just the mention of his name pisses me off!" Shiki stared at her, surprised. "First, he orders us to stop looking for Takuma when we didn't even know if he was dead, and now, we _know_ that he's alive, and he still won't tell us where the hell he is!" Rima slamed her fist against the door next to her.

"Calm down. Kaname has his reasons," he assured.

"Reasons my ass!"

"Rima! Senri!" They turned around and saw Ruka coming down the hall. She looked at Senri and then at Rima, clearly upset_._ "What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"Nothing," Rima answered, crossing her arms again and turning her back to them.

Ruka rolled her eyes and then said to Senri, "Kaname wants you two by the entrance to welcome guests."

"What?" Rima jerked her head around. "Why? Most of them are already here. Besides, we'll be too far from the food!"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I'm just telling you what he told me." Then she walked into the living room, joining all the guests that had already arrived.

"You see?" she pointed out to Senri, "He's making us do valet jobs now!"

"It's not that bad. Come on." He took her by the wrist and literally dragged her to the front.

xxx

"Welcome to the ball." Senri shook the man's hand as he walked in.

"That's the second person in the last thirty minutes," Rima said, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed. "I told you this was stupid. Kaname's just giving us busy work right now."

"Why are you complaining so much?" Senri asked, getting a little frustrated.

"Because I'm starving!"

"It's not like you're nailed to the doorway. Go get some food and come back when you're done."

She gave him a suspicious look. "Our leader isn't gonna get mad?"

"Is he really that scary?"

"Uh, yeah! Last time, I laughed when Yuki fell down the stairs from reading while walking. And he just _looked_ at me! I practically choked on my pocky stick! You know, vampires can probably die from choking too."

Shiki rubbed his temple as he shook his head. "I think you're overreacting."

"No I'm not!"

"Just go get your food. You won't get in trouble," he said, looking the other way.

[Rima's POV]

_Oh my god! The food is AMAZING! _I took a plate and started from the very end of the table, getting two of each dish. "Hmm…Is cream considered rich?" I thought to myself, bringing the strawberry tart to eye level. _My agent told me not eat anything too 'rich', else it would go straight to my ass…But screw her, these look REALLY good!_

I stacked up the rest of my plates with the entrées and moved towards the cake section. I set my two plates down and took another one, this time filling it up with the wide assortment of desserts. My stomach kept growling as I picked each delicacy. _God! I'm so hungry! _I looked to the right and saw that there was a cheesecake that I hadn't picked up, and there was only one left on the platter. I took the pie cutter already in my hand and reached over for it. At that moment, another cutter intercepted mine as it also tried to reach for the same cake. I looked up and dropped the cutter onto the table as the man standing on the other side, stared back at me, also with the same expression of shock.

His name instantly escaped my lips, "Takuma!"

[Third person POV]

"Rima," he muttered under his breath. The cake fell onto the table, causing Rima to take her eyes off him for a split second. Once she looked back up, Takuma was already gone.

"What?" She looked left and right. "Where the hell did he go?" A number of vampires surrounded her, but her friend was nowhere in sight. She squeezed through the guests, making her way across the ballroom. He wasn't at the buffet table at the other end, neither was he on the terrace. Shiki pushed the man aside to finally get to her.

"Rima, what's taking-"

"Takuma's here!" she cut in, her eyes wide open.

"What?" He looked at her puzzled.

"Did you not hear me?" She grabbed him by his blazer and jerked him towards her. "I-SAW-HIM!" By this time, Rima looked like a lunatic, who had just escaped from the nearest asylum.

"Rima…" He gently took her hands to get them to relax their hold and not wrinkle his jacket. "Calm down."

"I _am_ calm," she responded, freeing her hands from his.

"You said you saw him?" Senri asked, "Takuma?"

"I already told you, didn't I?" She was getting annoyed of his repeating. Shiki briefly glanced around them.

"I don't see him."

"That's because he disappeared. Why else would I be wandering around, looking like an idiot? You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"No," he answered to her surprise. "I'll take any chance of thinking that he's still alive." Rima observed the room.

"Only those with invitations are allowed in." She turned back to him. "Kaname must've known. He's the one that sent them." Senri nodded in agreement. He remained quiet, taking something into deep consideration.

"Come on." He took Rima by the hand and led her back into the mass of people.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Directly to the source of all this bullshit," he replied, keeping his gaze forward. Kaname stood in the center of the mass with Yuki by his side. "Kaname," Senri called, taking a firm grip on his arm and completely disregarding his cousin's current recipients.

"Is this something urgent, Senri?" he responded, his piercing gaze nearly causing Rima to squeal. Yuki also turned to look at them.

"Where's Takuma?" he bluntly asked, his gaze equally penetrating. The other guests gave one another a questioning look and retreated from the group. Kaname's countenance remained unchanged. "You knew where he was and you still wouldn't tell us. And you even invited him here tonight." Yuki's mouth was ajar upon hearing this. She looked up at Kaname, who still didn't have any reaction. Rima felt her nerves twitch from the tension built-up. "Are you gonna' _fucking_ answer or not?" he stammered.

"Kaname Kuran," an elegant female voice called from behind them.

"What the hell is it now?" Shiki grumbled turning around to find Sara standing before him.

"Who invited the bitch?" Rima murmured. Yuki tried not to smile from her remark.

"Sara Shirabuki," Kaname greeted back. The two purebloods exchanged bows, neither of them taking their eyes off the other. "Are you enjoying the evening?" he then asked out of courtesy.

"The food is a bit bland and the guests are boring me." She glossed over the others around them and took notice of Yuki standing beside him. Seeing how Sara had noticed his sister, he placed his arm around her shoulders to hint for her to step forward to be introduced.

"This is my younger sister, Yuki," Kaname said, tightening his watch on her.

"It's nice to meet you," Yuki said, offering her hand for her to take. An intrigued smiled spread across Sara's face as she looked from Yuki to her dainty hand boldly held out to her.

"As to you," Sara responded, taking her hand. "Oh…that reminds me," she added. She held her hand out to the side as if for someone to take. "I also have someone special for everyone to meet." At that moment from the surrounding group, a white-gloved hand took hold of hers. Ichijo stepped out from behind, keeping his head facing down. "This is my escort for the evening, Takuma Ichijo."

Both Rima and Shiki were at a loss of words. Yuki almost lost her footing as she stared back at him in utter disbelief. The grimace on Sara's face beamed even wider upon seeing their reactions. However, Kaname remained unmoved as always. Sara glanced up at Ichijo and then slightly smoothed out the wrinkle on his maroon-colored blazer. "I believe you two are already acquainted with one another?" she said to Kaname.

"We all are," he replied with the emptiest smile he could form. "Former classmates," he added, switching his gaze to Ichijo.

Sara looked back up at him when he still didn't respond. She tightened her grip on his arm and in response, Takuma looked up at his former friends, all who he had not seen in over a year.

"Yes…We use to go to school at Cross Academy," he spoke quietly, catching a glimpse of Rima before looking over at Sara. He leaned close to her and whispered in her ear.

Then she faced the others and said, "It was a pleasure meeting you all. Kaname, I hope to hear from you soon." She gave him one last warming smile before both she and Ichijo disappeared among the number of people around them. Not a moment longer, Rima broke away from the group in the same direction as Ichijo. Yuki was about to follow till her eyes fell onto Zero at the very far end. Once she also departed from the group, Shiki turned around to Kaname, who stood there lost in thought.

"There's your answer," Kaname said to him before he could open his mouth.

"You knew that he was with her all this time," Shiki said.

"Yes," he replied.

"Why didn't you tell us?" his cousin asked back. "If we had known earlier, we could've gotten to him-"

"Precisely why I _didn't_," Kaname broke in. "You and Rima would've gotten over your heads if I had said anything. You two have no idea what and _who_ you're dealing with. Sara _doesn't_ play fair." Senri placed his hands into his pockets and remained silent.

Once calm, he then said, "Kaname…What…" _Should I ask? Is it even any of my business?_ He took a small quiet breath and then asked, "What about Yoka?"

xxx

_How fast can those two walk?_ Rima gripped the side of her dress, lifting it up so it wouldn't keep dragging on the ground. She already lost sight of them a while ago, but after already thoroughly scouting the entire hall, she still didn't spot a tall blonde, strolling around. Rima leaned against the entranceway between the hall and the rest of the manor that was off-limits to guests. _How hard can it be to find a ridiculously tall blondie with googly green eyes and dangly limbs? In my case…REALLY hard! _She turned and looked back into the room filled with nobles, purebloods, and even humans - from the Hunter Association of course - buzzing around eating and chatting.

"This party really sucks," she thought to herself. She straightened up and swiped her dress several times to prepare herself to rejoin everyone else. Once one foot stepped out from under her dress, a hand grabbed her over the mouth as an arm came around her waist and pulled her into the nearest empty room. Immediately upon entering, the imposter released her and shut the door. She turned around to get a clear look of the stranger, who had just locked the door. He remained in the shadows, which concealed him entirely.

"Whoever you are, I'm totally gonna' FRY your ass! You know how _fucking _long it took me to pick out the lipstick that you just smeared everywhere?" she threatened, the electricity beginning to spark in her hands.

"You've already 'fried' me once," a soft familiar voice said, and the tall blonde noble stepped out from the darkness. "And I have the scar on my ass to prove it." The flow of electricity instantly ceased.

"Takuma," she said to herself. He took several steps towards her.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," he apologized. "I didn't know how else to get you somewhere private to talk." He scratched the back of his head, appearing shyer than she remembered him to be. Rima desperately wanted to place even just one finger on him, to touch him and see if he really was real and not a figment of her imagination.

"All this time," she began, her voice suddenly starting to choke, "…I thought you were dead. But…you were always alive…with _her_."

"She's really not that bad," Takuma commented, looking down at the buttons on his jacket. "She's like a child, really…" It hurt him to see the sadness that hung on Rima's face once he looked up at her.

"A child…" she repeated to herself, her eyes straying off to the side and then falling towards the thick, black leather shackles around both his wrists. She brought his hands up to take a closer look and noticed the thick metal loop that was attached to each one, apparently the place for something to fasten onto. "Are these…" She looked up at him in disbelief. "…Restraints?"

"They're nothing," he brushed the matter aside, taking his hand from her grip.

"Oh my god…" She made him look back up at her. "Please don't tell me that you're her _bitch_ now!"

"Rima…" he began, getting the feeling that she was about to start one of her rants.

"Your hairs gotten longer…You've gotten skinnier too," she then added, taking up his long scrawny arm again and then looking at his waist, concealed within his suit. "And…you've lost your color…" Her fingertips barely touched the ice-cold surface of his cheek. He didn't say anything but remained quiet and looked at her with the warm green eyes that he always had. "You…you look like shit," Rima said, her voice cracking. She looked at him again from top to bottom, gently shaking her head, unable to cope with what she was seeing. She brought her hand over her mouth.

"Rima," he muttered again once he saw the small teardrop that escaped from the corner of her eye. Her clear blue eyes stared at him as they filled with tears. Takuma felt his stomach twist as his long childhood friend, who rarely displayed any sense of care, stood not a meter in front of him, begin to cry. He brought his hands up but paused for a moment before he placed them on her shoulders. He felt her small body tremble under his hands, and he then gently brought her into the circle of his arms. "It's okay, Rima," he whispered. "I'm here."

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**FYI...updates will not be consistent and as quick as before, but thank you for reading. If you have some time, plz review and let me know how I'm doing. Thanks ;)**


	2. My Instrument

**Thanks for all the reviews. They're a big encouragement :) Here's the next chapter. Enjoy...**

**I don't own VK.**

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Sara glanced around the ballroom, but Ichijo was nowhere in sight. "Does he really think I'm that naive?" she murmured to herself. "You're so predictable, Takuma." She then made her way towards the two large wooden doors of the entrance. Her hand reached for the doorknob, but another hand took a hold of it first and opened the door.

"Are we leaving?" Takuma asked.

Sara, appearing ever so sweet, answered back with a simple nod. Without another moments waste, she stepped outside. Ichijo reached for the handle of the car door once the vehicle stopped for them to get on.

"Where were you? You disappeared all of a sudden," Sara asked, examining him from head to toe once the two of them got into the passenger seat.

"I was in the men's room," he replied. She moved closer to him till her leg rubbed against his, pricking his nerves.

"Is that so?" she trailed off, tracing her fingers from his stomach to his chest. Takuma felt the hair along his arms stand but he couldn't stir a single muscle. "Takuma," she gently whispered in his ear as she tightened her clutch on his chest, sinking her nails deeper into his flesh. "Don't make me regret not killing you," she finished as the sweet scent of his blood perfumed the air, tantalizing both their senses. He clenched his teeth, the pain intensifying with each beat of his heart. She suddenly put on an innocent smile, completely altering her malevolent appearance from before. "You need to smile more, Takuma," she said. He gasped for air once she let go and grabbed onto the handle of the car as if it would dull the pain that burned along the surface of his skin all the way down to his nerves. "Your apathetic looks always dim the mood. It makes everything so much gloomier." She sat back in her seat, creating a bit of distance between them again. "Try and look happier, would you?" she said more as a command than a suggestion.

Takuma held his hand tightly over his heart, allowing the wound some time to close. His chest heaved up and down as he continued to inhale every breath he could. He then wiped his hand over his face, brushing away the cold sweat before he cautiously replied back. "Yes, Sara…"

_[10 minutes ago…]_

Takuma reached for the gold pocket watch resting in his coat pocket. "I should go," he said, looking up at Rima. He could barely see her face from the dimness of the room. She grabbed his hand, refusing to let him proceed.

"Don't go! Come back to us!" she pleaded. The blue of her eyes sparkled from the small amount of light seeping through the window curtains.

"I can't," he replied. "I'm _bounded_ to her."

"But if we go to Kaname, he must-"

"Kaname," he cut her off, "…_Can't_ do anything about it." He looked back at her, smiling as always, but with such despair that it pained her to look at.

"But you haven't even tried," she said in a whisper. He brought his hand up to her face, picking out the small piece of dust stuck on the tip of her bangs. She took his hand before it fell back to his side, tightly gripping onto it. "I can't lose you again," she said with tears filling her eyes. "Not just for my sake…but _hers_!"

He felt his soul suddenly sucked out of him when he heard that final remark. The strength in his arm vanished but was still held up by her hand. He stared back at Rima, intently, with nothing to say.

"You have to come back…" Rima said, "…for her."

"I…can't…" he painfully responded back, nearly chocking on his words. "I'm keeping _everyone_ safe if I just stay being her pet."

"At what cost?" she retorted back, unable to understand why he was doing this. "Having your freedom stripped from you? Sara's a _bitch_ and she's always been a _bitch_ with and without you groveling by her feet!"

"Things aren't as easy as you think."

"Yes it is! You just _leave_ and it's done." His stubbornness was starting to irritate her.

"You of all should know the binding abilities purebloods have on us nobles," he responded, his eyes straying to the side. "No matter how much I want to leave, I _can't…_at least not right now." Then he turned to her again and held onto her hand with both of his, the sound of his wristbands clinking together as he moved his arms. "Promise me one thing though..." His green eyes gazed keenly into hers. "Tell her…to just wait for me awhile longer."

"I'll try," was all she could give to him in response. He nodded and gave her a small smile, understanding how much sorrow he had already inflicted onto everyone from his absence, especially her and Rima. Without another word, Takuma let go of her hand and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him and concealing her in darkness yet again. Rima stared at the door clutching so tightly onto the soft fabric of her dress that her hands began to tremble a little. She bit the insides of her cheeks and then quietly thought to herself, "How can I tell her…if she doesn't even remember…?"

xxx

"I don't get this!" Yuki whined. "Why are there letters? It's math. It's suppose to be numbers."

"Letters represent numbers. The point is to _solve_ for those numbers."

"Why do I want to know what 'a' is? It would be a whole lot easier if they just tell me what it is."

"Then there'd be no point in solving the _damn_ thing!" Aido angrily responded back, clenching his teeth together as he restrained himself from going completely insane by all of Yuki's comments. "God! How did any of your professors teach you? You're like a rock!"

"If I was a rock, I'd be rough and gray…" she commented, tapping her index finger on her small chin. Aido slapped his hand over his face as he sat back in his chair, which was already frozen in place.

"Yuki-sama."

The two of them turned around to find one of the maids standing by the entrance way to the kitchen.

"Touya-sama is asking to see you. She's waiting at the front door," the young miss politely addressed.

"Finally, a break…" Yuki thought to herself, getting up and walking out of the kitchen. The orange pigtailed model stood at the front of the entrance, facing away from the house.

"Rima, I didn't know you coming," Yuki said with a welcoming smile. Rima turned around, uncrossing her arms with a grim look hanging over her visage. "What's wrong?" Yuki asked, her smile slowly fading.

"I need to speak with you," she replied, holding onto her hands in an uneasy manner.

Hanabusa walked over to the two of them. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the tension present as he looked from Rima to Yuki.

"I need to talk to Rima privately," Yuki said to him. "Wait in the kitchen." She took Rima by the hand and closed the door behind them once they stepped onto the front porch. Yuki looked up at Rima, waiting for her to speak. But she looked to the side, uncertain of how to start or what to even say first.

"Have you talked to Yoka lately?" was the first thing that came out of Rima's mouth.

Yuki shook her head. "The last time I spoke to her was almost a month ago. She was doing well." She looked at her more carefully, slightly tilting her head. "This isn't about Yoka…at least not completely. What is it?" Rima's eyes strayed to the side. She brought her hands up, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I saw Takuma," she then said, not looking at Yuki.

"I know. We all did at the party-"

"No! I _saw_ him," she corrected. "Like the way I'm seeing you right now…this close."

"Did you…Did you talk to him?" Yuki asked, holding onto the porch railing as she felt her knees suddenly become weak.

"I don't know what to do," she replied instead. Yuki was at a loss of words as she looked at a Rima who was completely lost inside, contrasting so much from her usual self.

"He told me to tell her to wait for him," Rima began. "But how can I tell her that if she doesn't even know who the hell he is?" She turned around and went up and down the steps, aimlessly walking around. Yuki looked down and noticed how her hands were gripping tightly onto her dress.

_Ichijo-san…He's alive…But…oh no…_

"Are you free tomorrow?" Yuki then asked looking back up at her. Rima stopped and turned her attention back to the young pureblood standing before her. "We're gonna' go see Yoka."

"And do what?" Rima exclaimed. "Sit her down, try to explain to her that she loved somebody once but she just doesn't remember! And sound like buffoons?"

"I…I don't know," Yuki quietly said, sitting down on the wooden bench. Rima sat down next to her, placing her face in her hands.

"And I doubt waving pictures in her face would help either," she added, lifting her head back up.

"No…It probably wouldn't," Yuki said. She then turned to Rima with a sudden incentive present. "But we still have to try."

xxx

[Ichijo's POV]

I set a clean shirt over the chair next to the mirror. "Dammit…I'm scarring everywhere," I said to myself, running my fingers over the irregular folds of skin on my chest. My fingers touched the scar that I received from my _final_ encounter with grandfather over a year ago. Then there was another one – five slits that circled where my heart was. _I'm just glad she didn't rip anything off like last time._ Reaching for my shirt, I noticed the bite marks on my left wrist. Then I looked back at myself in the mirror, buttoning my shirt. When I reached the top button, I stopped and gently brushed my collar aside to see the more recent penetration on my skin by her fangs. "It's like she leaves her mark every time she touches me," I thought, finally buttoning the last button.

Once I was in my appropriate attire, I exited the room and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. "Two cubes of sugar and a piece of cake," I enumerated to myself as I prepared the tea. _Every day is like a routine. _Once ready, I entered the library. Sara was sitting in the armchair by the window, with several books sprawled on the ground in front of her.

"You always remember," she said, her eyes looking up from her reading. I set the tray down on the small table next to her.

"I'd rather do what I ought to, rather than not and face the consequences," I said, trying to smile. She took my hand before I could hand the teacup to her. The coldness of her skin could even be felt through the cloth of my glove. She brought the back of my hand against her cheek. "Sara…" I hesitantly said, slowly trying to retract my hand from her clutch, "…Please…"

She let go and reached for her tea. My heartbeat reverted back to its normal pace. I went over to the books on the ground and started gathering them together to place back on the shelves.

"Who's Yoka?" she suddenly asked nonchalantly. My entire body flinched when she mentioned her name. I turned to look up at her. Her long, wavy blonde hair rested comfortably on her shoulders as she sat deeper into her chair, bringing her legs up to her thighs. She looked at him attentively with her head leaning more to her right. "Takuma…Who's Yoka?" she repeated.

"How…How did you come across that name?" I asked, meekly.

"It was in your notebook," she replied, looking down at her tea as she stirred it. "…The one you left on your desk."

_She was looking through my diary…This is NOT good._

"You haven't answered my question." She stopped stirring and stared back at me.

I stood up and started fixing the buttons on the end of my sleeves as I tried to answer back as casually as I could, "She's…She was a former classmate of mine…back at the academy."

"Oh…" Sara took the cake on the table. "Just classmates? Nothing more?" she asked. I kept my gaze on the mahogany floors and shook my head. She didn't question me about Yoka any further and quietly ate her dessert for a moment. I returned back to my business of reorganizing the books she carelessly tossed all over the ground.

"Can I go back upstairs now?" I asked after placing the books back in their places.

"Do as you please," she said inattentively, waving me away. Before I could turn around and leave, she then added, "And take your cello with you. It's taking up too much room at the front door."

"My cello?" I said, looking at her puzzled.

"It's from Kaname. The note says that it was yours and that it was beginning to become a burden to them. It's a piece of junk if you ask me. Dispose of it if you're not going to keep it."

"Oh…" I trailed off, still quite confused. I commented no more and walked to the front door of the manor. The black cello case was set leaning against the wall next to the two wooden doors. I observed the outer casing for a moment, still wondering why Kaname would bother sending this to me. _It just seems so…random. _I set the case down against my bed once I entered my room and shut the door. Laying it flat on its back, I released the locks and opened it up. I gently smoothed my fingers over the shiny woodwork of the instrument. "I haven't played this in years," I thought to myself. There was a folded piece of paper stuck in between the strings.

"You forgot your instrument," the note read.

"My instrument..." I repeated the phrase, sensing some sort of awkwardness in those words. Taking the cello out of its case, I sat on my bed with the string instrument in position. With my left hand on the neck, I strung my first note with my index finger. My forehead scrunched together. "That…didn't sound right…" I thought aloud. I strung it again and again, and yet each time the notes were incorrect. I brought it up to my lap, preparing to retune it but suddenly paused. The more I looked at it, the more I felt like I was overlooking something. That was when a thought suddenly hit me. I immediately got up and retrieved one of the white towels from the closet. With the body of the cello wrapped in the fabric, I set it on the carpeted floor and crushed the beautiful wooden player with the sole of my foot. Kneeling back down, I removed the towel and brushed away the broken pieces.

"My instrument," I smirked to myself, picking up the sword.

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**I hope this chapter was to your satisfaction. Thank you for reading :)**


	3. Missing Sword

**It's quite a bit shorter than usual but I still wanted to update something soon. So read and enjoy this for now :)**

**I don't own VK.

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Rima brought the strawberry-coated Pocky stick to her mouth, gently breaking a piece off as she kept her look fixed on the multiple objects flinging out of Senri's room and hitting the wall of the hallway. She raised her eyebrow as always once she peeked her head out from the doorway.

"Senri, what in god's name are you doing?" she asked, her eyes bouncing from all the drawers completely pulled out from the dresser to his bed mattress flipped onto its side and leaning against the wall. She then saw a bunch of blood tablets spilled all over the night table. "Don't tell me you overdosed on these," she said, rolling a pill in between her thumb and index finger.

"I can't find it," Senri said, standing up from rumbling through the closet. He tugged on the ends of his maroon-colored hair along his neck.

"What're you looking for?" she asked, carefully maneuvering her way around all the junk covering every inch of the wooden floor.

"The sword," he responded, taking the Pocky that Rima had in her mouth.

"You lost Takuma's sword?" Rima exclaimed, tossing the box of Pockys among the pile of junk. She grabbed him by his hoody, jerking him down to her level. "_How_ could you lose something like that?"

"I didn't lose it!" His knees began to feel tired, having to bend to Rima's height. "It...disappeared. There's a difference."

"Difference? There IS no difference!" Her hands smacked against her face, pulling down on her skin. "You lost the _only_ thing we had left of him!"

"I'll find it-"

"Shiki-sama," the maid's voice suddenly broke in. She stood by the door to his room with her hands neatly folded in front of her. "Kuran-sama came earlier this week during your absence."

"Kaname..." he mentioned to himself.

"I'll bet you every damn Pocky in Japan that he took it," Rima said, looking up at him with her hands on her hips.

"What did my cousin want?" he asked the servant.

"He asked to see you," she answered honestly. "And once I informed him of your absence, he asked for coffee but left when I returned." Senri turned the ring around his finger as he listened and thought to himself. Then he felt the pockets of his pants for his car keys and rushed out the door.

"I'll be back," he called out to Rima as he went down the stairs.

xxx

Shiki suddenly jumped when he slid into the driver's seat with Rima already sitting next to him with her seat belt fastened.

"It's faster going through the back door," Rima said, fixing her pigtails in the rear-view mirror. "So where are we going?" The car engine roared to life once he turned on the ignition.

"We're gonna' go say 'hi' to Gang Leader Kuran," Senri replied. An uncertainty came over Rima.

"Maybe you should go without me." She then reached to unbuckle her safety belt.

"Too late," Senri told her right before he floored the gas pedal.

xxx

"Oh look, they redid their front yard," Rima commented as she stepped out of the car. Senri came to her side, and the two of them looked up at the Kuran mansion. She turned to him beside her. "You're not just gonna' barge in, are you? He might give you his 'death glare'."

Senri placed his keys back in his pocket before answering, "Of course not. I'm going to handle things as calm and civilized as possible."

"_Civilized_ as in 'vampire civilized' or 'human civilized'?"

He turned and looked at her. "There's a difference?"

"Last time I checked, neither species are really considered 'civilized'," Rima informed. They climbed the cobble-stoned steps until both of them came face to face with the front door.

"Ring the doorbell," Senri told Rima.

"No! You do it," she snapped back.

"You're standing right next to it." She eyed him uncertainly. "I doubt my cousin would be paranoid enough to booby-trap his front entrance," he remarked hoping that it would alleviate her from her own paranoia. Rima then brought her hand up and reluctantly pressed the doorbell. Neither of them heard a sound. He turned to her. "Are you sure you pressed hard enough?" he asked.

"I ain't pressing it again!" Rima declared, jumping in back of him. He rolled his eyes and took his hand out of his pocket to press again.

"Calm down! It's not like I'm going to be kidnapped when I open the door," a familiar voice suddenly shouted from the other side. The door swung open and Yuki stood before the two of them. "Rima! Senri! What a surprise," she greeted cheerfully. She then turned around to Aido, who approached them. "See...It's Rima and Senri, not terrorists, aliens, or any other crazy being you mentioned," she pointed out to him. The blonde didn't argue back but crossed his arms and angrily mumbled to himself.

"Is Kaname home?" Shiki asked his young cousin.

"He is," she answered. "He's upstairs. I'll go get him. Come on in." She closed the door when the two models entered inside and then disappeared up the stairs.

"How's Akatsuki?" Senri asked Aido.

"Busy," he replied. "Kaname has Ruka and him running around on a bunch of errands."

"While you're here babysitting," Rima added with a grimace. "I don't know what the boss was thinking, but you were definitely not on my list of nannies."

"I'm NOT a nanny!" Aido stammered back, his face burning bright red. The other two silently chuckled to themselves at how easy it still was to infuriate their old friend. The chuckling and giggling ceased once Yuki and Kaname came downstairs. The two let go from holding hands when they joined them.

"Senri," Kaname said. "I haven't heard from you in a while. Last time it was at the party, if I recall."

"I've been busy," he replied returning to his cousin the same apathetic expression that was on his countenance. "I heard you dropped by my place while I was in Paris."

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Kaname responded, giving him a small smile.

"Where's the sword?" Senri suddenly shot out.

"Way to be civilized," Rima commented to the side.

"What sword?" he replied.

"Takuma's sword...It's gone."

"You mean you lost it?" he clarified. Rima smirked at their leader, having the same response she did.

"I didn't...lose it," Senri corrected, frustrated. Kaname stopped smiling and decided to stop his teasing of his younger cousin.

"Come with me," he said, gesturing for Shiki to follow. The two men went to the back of the house, leaving the ladies and Aido at the front.

"So where is it?" Senri asked again once they were outside on the patio.

"I don't have it," Kaname honestly answered.

"What do you mean-" Senri stopped in mid-sentence. _Has my assumption been flawed? But I was so certain..._

"What were you planning on doing with it anyways?" Kaname then asked him. "Burst into Sara's home and swing it around in her face, threatening her with it?"

"It's better than what you're doing - nothing. He's your best friend. Don't you even give a shit?" The two stared back at one another intensely.

"You doubt my loyalty," Kaname inferred.

"I do," Shiki replied almost immediately. "Because it seems like you only care about two things now - the council and _her_." He pointed to the inside of the house. "And all of us...We're just pawns at your disposal."

"He chose to remain by her side," Kaname said before Senri could reenter inside. He turned around to face him again.

"Because that was the only choice he had," he responded. Kaname took several steps towrads him.

"Which is why I provided Takuma with a second option," the pureblood said with a flawless composure.

xxx

Rima and Shiki walked down the driveway to where the car was parked. Shiki continued to the car door even when Rima had stopped part way on the path. He turned to her, remaining still as she watched him.

"What is it, Rima?" he asked, letting go of the handle on the car door.

"I talked to Takuma," she said, her fingers fumbling together.

"When?"

"Several weeks ago...at the party." She looked off to the side, then back at him. "He said that he couldn't come back, not now..." She took a deep breath, seeing how intently Senri was staring at her now. "And about a week ago...Yuki and I...we went to see _her_." He was already standing in front of her. She looked up at him, and he sank deeper into her despair-stricken blue eyes. He waited for her to finish her sentence, but all Rima could do was bury her face onto his chest and shake her head. Senri brought his arms around her and looked up at the Kuran mansion. _Is hope really this fleeting? Kaname...I hope you're right, and that fate has not turned her back on Takuma yet... _


	4. Fate's Betrayal

**A much more acceptable length, I hope :) Here's Chapter 4. Please read and enjoy.**

**I don't own VK.**

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[Ichijo's POV]

I opened my wardrobe, and my hand reached over to the ties hanging on the rack. "I'm sorry," I said to the sword, also residing inside. "But not today." I constantly kept glancing over at where the sword was hidden as I tied my tie, raising my chin to make a loop and finally pulling down to tighten the knot. "But if not today, then when?" I thought to myself as I moved back over to the dressing cabinet. My hand reached up, wanting to open it. But once it touched the handle, my arm did not have the strength to follow through and pull it open. _Kaname...I don't know what you were thinking, sending this to me, but escape...is just not possible. _My hand let go and instead, took a hold of the top drawer from the dresser beside it. Inside were several pairs of white, linen gloves that were neatly folded, appearing relatively new. I took a pair and slide each of my hands into a glove as I walked over to my bedside table. I picked up the gold pocket watch and dropped it into the pocket of my vest. Then I looked at the leather-bound journal also sitting on the table and brushed my fingers on the smooth surface. _I never missed a day. Every day of the past year is recorded. And in every entry, I say the same thing - pleading to Yoka to wait for me - though she can't hear anything I say. _I then removed my fingers from its surface and made my way to the door to exit into the main corridor. Another day of servitude had begun.

xxx

"Hope...Do you believe in it?" Sara asked me as I set out her tea on the table.

I handed the letters to her and obediently replied, "Yes, I do."

"Why?" she inquired curiously. "It isn't guaranteed. Things can go horribly wrong and end in disaster."

"But that's why it's called 'hope'," I responded. "It's that _possibility_, that leap of faith that makes the outcome so much greater." She set the letters down next to her and reached for a cup.

"Tell me, what is it that _you_ hope for?" she then asked me.

I was reluctant to answer her truthfully. A massive list of possible lies that were at my convenience piled up inside my brain. However, as much as I wanted to just give her a false testimony, I couldn't. Once my mouth opened, I felt a solid form in my throat, choking me and preventing the lie from leaving my mouth. She looked up at me when no response came.

"So?" she pressed. Sara could easily read my mind if she wanted to, yet she didn't. She wanted to hear the joys of my life, the "hopes" that I had, spoken from my very lips. So that later, when I least expected it, she would strip me of everything. She was toying with me...and she was enjoying it. That was how she was.

I wouldn't look at her as I replied in a timid voice, "I...have hope...in seeing those close to me again."

"You don't have anyone close to you...not anymore," she corrected. "Your grandfather was the last one...And _you_ killed him."

"But I have friends," I suddenly spoke out, looking up at her. _Whoa! What came over me? What happened to "shut up and just nod your head"?_

"You mean Kaname and his band of vampire knights?" she put in. She stood up and walked over to where I was standing. "You've forgotten, Takuma...that they didn't come for you when you were about to die." She slowly circled around me, her long wavy hair flowing elegantly behind her. "I was the one that picked you up from the ashes." The touch of her fingers caressing the side of my face felt more like knives stabbing under my skin. I felt a sudden cold shiver run down my spine when her lips touched my ear as she whispered into it. "I'm the only _close_ person you have now." She brought her arms around my neck. "Other than me, you have no one else."

_But you're wrong, Sara. I do have someone...Someone so close to me that no matter what you do, you can never tear me away from her. And she's someone that you will never have the honor of meeting. I'll make sure of it._

xxx

I sat in the armchair with my elbows resting on the armrest. My eyes were becoming strained from staring at the wardrobe directly across my bed for almost half an hour. "I hope to see all of them again...To see Yoka...And yet, I'm not doing anything about it." My fingers clutched even tighter onto the chair, sinking my fingertips deeper into the cushion. "But what can I do?" I thought to myself. "Escape? Is there really no other way?" I lowered my head and closed my eyes, resting them a bit. "Other than me, you have no one else," Sara's voice played in my mind. I opened my eyes again and stood up, turning around to look out the window at the full moon, shining brightly above all of us. Then I turned around and made my way to the wooden wardrobe, dropping my gloves onto the rug. The ecstatic touch of my fingers on the handles surged up my arm. My eyes instantly fell onto the sword that lay in the exact same position as when I first hid it in there. I took off my tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of my shirt. Then in a single motion, I took up my sword and finally unveiled the blade from its scabbard. A piercing resounding note echoed in the room as I swung it down to my side. Holding the empty scabbard in one hand and the blade in the other, I brought the Japanese steel up to my face. It had been so long since I've set my eyes on the majestic beauty that had slain so many vampires..._Including grandfather..._The smooth laces wrapped around the handle felt so familiar in my grasp. I tightened my hold and said to myself, "Kaname is right...To see Yoka again...Escape _is_ the only way." Then with one swing, the door slashed open and the light from the hall seeped into the darkness of my room.

[Third person POV]

The man's body crashed into the wall with a streak of red bursting from his chest. Takuma turned around and another one of Sara's servants stormed into the hall. He scaled the wall and charged after him. But before he could get his hands around his neck, Takuma leaped into the air and landed behind him. The man's scream was muffled by his hand as he pierced his body from the back and through his stomach with a hose of blood washing down the wall in front of them.

The sound of multiple footsteps reverberated down the corridor behind him. _I never knew Sara had so many guards. The estate always seemed so empty._ _Doesn't matter. I'll kill them all if I have to. _He skidded down the hall with only the blade left in his hand. Then he dodged to the side, smashing into the window when someone suddenly attacked from a hidden corner. The vampire dropped a shred of black fabric onto the ground, and Takuma noticed the rip on his vest. He jumped up and kicked off from the ceiling, lunging himself downwards. He smashed into the guard, securely gripping onto his neck and without any hesitation, pierced his fangs into the man's carotid artery. Blood squirted from the man's neck as he stood over him. The ivory rug absorbed the crimson liquid like a sponge once he finished and dropped the degraded corpse onto the ground. "I actually liked this outfit," he said to the body as he picked up his sword that he had planted into the floor before he made his jump. With the sleeve of his shirt he wiped away the blood that dripped from his mouth to his chin and smeared onto his neck. Then his hand reached into his vest pocket, taking out the golden pocket watch. He saw the red that burned in his eyes from the reflection on the glass of the clock's face. The shadow of several others could be seen coming from the other end once he looked up. "Quit playing around and get out of here _fast!_" he stressed to himself running in the direction of the shadows as his vest fell to the ground.

After taking out the guards on the second level, Takuma raced towards the entrance. He came to an abrupt stop once the doors came into sight. A servant girls and the gardener stood in front of the entrance doors, blocking him from proceeding.

"Takuma, whatever your reason is for doing this, _Stop_," the gardener warned with a sense of sympathy.

"You know how the master is. If you leave, there _will_ be consequences," the young girl said to him.

_I've gotten to know these two during my time here...They're good people - their humanity snatched away and then enslaved by Sara - but I have to leave. I have to see her again._ "I'm sorry," I told them. "But I refuse to be Sara's slave any longer."

The man lowered his head and took out an ax from behind. "No. We're the ones that are sorry," he responded.

"I've already tasted enough blood tonight." I tightened my grip on my sword. "I don't want yours to be next."

"Don't worry," the woman replied, untying her apron. "We'll be tasting yours!" She thrust the apron forward and charged at him right behind it. Takuma slashed the apron in half and immediately leaped backwards to dodge her fangs from slashing his skin. But while he was still in the air, the girl hurled herself after him, knocking his sword out of his hands as the two of them crashed onto the floor. Her nails dug deep into his wrist as his other hand was the only thing preventing her teeth from biting into his neck. He looked behind the girl and saw the man approach the two of them and raise his ax in the air with both hands. The gardener's red eyes met with his one last time before he finally swung down with tremendous force. At that instant, Takuma's hand broke free of her grasp, and he kicked the woman up to his face where the ax's blade hacked her body into two. With a wave of blood washing over him, he scurried up and ran for his sword. With no feelings towards his lost comrade, the man came after him, holding the ax with one hand pulled back, preparing to make another strike. Takuma snatched up the sword in the middle of the room and at once slashed at the charging foe. He stared at the man standing beside him as he took in heavy breaths, holding onto his sword with both hands now. He dropped his ax onto the ground and his hand reached up to the blood seeping through his clothing, and a small smile came onto his lips.

"Cherish your freedom," he said to him in a soft voice before red fluids gushed out from his chest and stomach as the top half of his body flopped onto the ground. His heart continued to pound as Takuma looked at the body parts scattered on the marbled floor. Too much blood was spilled tonight that the air was completely saturated by the scent. _Sara obviously knows what's happening._ _I have to hurry!_ He pushed his hair back, smearing away half the blood covering his face. Then he grabbed the handles with both hands and swung the doors open.

"There it is!" Takuma said to himself, once his eyes caught on to the metal gate at the far end of the manor. Right away, he took off. There was nothing to stop him now. Even as more guards got in his way, he slaughtered through them. The motivation driving inside him was unstoppable. Takuma brought his elbow back and jammed the metal through the vampire's heart. The gate was only meters away and his hands began to shake from the anxiousness. He jerked the sword out of the person's chest and caught his footing as he ran with as much strength as he could towards freedom. _I made it! Freedom! It's so close, I can taste it!_

And just like that, his body completely froze, stopping him in place. His muscles were strained and his nerves numbed.

"You're leaving, and you're not even going to say goodbye?" he heard the poisonous voice of the serpent speak. From the corner of his eye he saw Sara slowly approach him. "When I saved you, I thought that you'd be _my_ doll to play with, but..." Her hand reached over form behind him and took hold of his hand that was gripping onto his sword. "...You already belonged to someone." With her hand still on his, Takuma had no control and released his clasp on the stainless steel. "You were _her_ doll." She fondled her fingers on his cheek and eventually to the buttons of his shirt along his chest. "You want to leave. I'll let you leave, but I have to get something in return." Her hand wrapped around his waist as the other began unbuttoning his shirt. "I'm going to take not just from you but Yoka as well. I'm going to take away that _one_ moment that you two haven't shared yet." He felt her cold hands touch the bare skin of his chest. Then, she brought her mouth to his ear and whispered, "If I can't have you entirely, neither can she..."

_And like what I've said before...Once Sara knows what you cherish most...She'll take it away..._

_Yoka...I'm so sorry..._


	5. A Surprising Return

**Read and enjoy :)**

**I don't own VK.**

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[Hanabusa's POV]

"No, no, NO!" I slammed my hands on the table, making the pencils and cups jump. "You're doing it all wrong again! We've done this problem almost five times! How can you still not know?" Kaname-senpai's "little sister" was becoming _exceptionally _annoying. _How dumb can a vampire be, let alone a pureblood?_

"I can't help but feel uncomfortable from studying in an ice cave!" Yuki yelled back at me, almost losing her cool.

"An ice cave?" I thought. That was when I noticed that the entire kitchen was frozen solid from top to bottom. "Ah, shit!" I said to myself, standing up as I looked at my reflection on the layer of ice covering the glass cabinet.

"Aido-senpai, you really need to watch that temper of yours to avoid 'accidents' like this," she suggested.

"What're you talking about? My temper is fine!" I snapped back. She sighed in response and cupped her cheek in her hand as she looked off to the side, seeing that my stubbornness was impenetrable. I ran my fingers through my golden blonde hair all the way to the back of my neck. I could tell that Yuki wasn't ready for another minute of my lecturing and scolding, and neither was I. "Take a ten minute break," I then told her and walked out through the family room and into the living room.

I could hear the heel of my shoes tap against the wooden floor as I strolled over to the center of the room, rubbing the bridge of my nose. Several photos were placed on top of the fireplace. I looked up and reached for the one on the far left. My fingertips wiped across the glass of the frame. The photo was of the five of us when we were just mere children – Kaname, me, Akatsuki, Ruka…and Takuma. _Who would've thought that you'd be the one to get a human girlfriend? You always looked like an idiot, smiling like that, but now…now I miss seeing it…sigh…Ichijo…Where the hell are you?_ I set the picture back in its original position and placed my hands into my pockets. My eyes strayed off to the side and right then, I saw from the front of the window, a shadowy figure approaching the manor's entrance. "Damn hunters! They just won't leave us alone," and without thinking twice, I burst out the front door and charged after it. Whoever it was, the figure was _not_ human. Without a doubt, it was a vampire. _No human can ever move that fast and yet…This vampire isn't from the normal class. _Once the two of us approached each other, the intruder sped past me, making his way towards the house. _I didn't even see his face! _I braced myself for an abrupt stop, skidding along the ground and aimed an icicle in his direction to stop him from advancing. And just like that, the frozen spike shattered into pieces before it even made an impact. _Dammit! Who does he think he is?_

"I've been ordered by Kuran-senpai to protect his sister. And I'm not about to let an _asshole_ like you get any closer!" I thrust my hand forward and fired a heavy stream of frozen shards. He didn't budge as the projectiles came at him and suddenly diverged, completely avoiding from making any contact on him. _What the-? _I pulled my hand back as I stared at the stranger, still standing meters away from me, left untouched. The moon's rays reflected back at me from the blade that never left his side.

"Still acting before thinking…You haven't changed, Hanabusa."

_Could it be? _I could feel the hairs throughout my body erect. "That voice…" I muttered to myself, as I looked intently upon the man. "Ichijo…" I softly spoke out in disbelief. I rushed to his side when he dropped his sword and fell to his knees. I didn't even notice it when my hands took him by the shoulders, providing support. And when he looked up at me, the shadow concealing his face shrunk away, leaving his gentle green eyes that I have not seen in so long. "Ichijo…" I said, still in shock. "Are…you alright?" I asked, seeing the extraordinary amounts of dry blood that stained his shirt. A small, meek smile suddenly came onto his lips.

"Last time I recall, you're only this nice to Kaname," he commented. Normally I would've bashed back with piles of insults, but not this time. Instead, I returned the smile back. He brought his hand up and placed it over mine on his shoulder. "Sorry to have disrupted you this way," he then said. "But I didn't know where else to go. I had a feeling that you'd be here with Yuki. I've missed…all of you." After that final thought, he collapsed into my arms.

"Ichijo," I said, but there was no response. _He must've used up his last bit of strength to deflect my last shot_. I took his sword and swung his arm over my shoulders. It was a bit difficult to carry him, considering how much taller he was. His light blonde hair fell along his face as I looked over at him. "Welcome back," I then said in a very quiet voice, making our way to the front of the house.

xxx

"How is he?" I asked once Yuki and the two maids finally came out. She gently closed the door behind her and nodded when she looked at me.

"He'll be okay. He's just really tired," she reassured, walking over to where I was standing against the wall of the hall. I rubbed my face with both hands, taking in a deep breath and then exhaling.

"He even insisted on changing his clothes himself even when he could barely lift his arm," she added. "Which was why we came out." She glanced at the door and then faced forward again. "Don't get me wrong, but I never thought he was that sensitive."

_Ichijo as the sensitive type? Well…sometimes, I guess…_I looked up at the door to the room where he was staying in, shrugging away the idea.

"You said he walked all the way?" she asked, looking over at me.

I shrugged my shoulders in response. "I don't know. I found him headed towards the manor. I don't know anything else before." I crossed my arms. "You didn't ask?"

"I did," she replied, bringing her hands behind her back. "He wouldn't really answer." Then she looked down at the carpet. "I don't know...I guess that doesn't matter. He's back...And that's what's important."

"Mm…" I simply responded. _He's back and safe. But what now? Everything for all of us, including him, just got even more complicated._

xxx

[Ichijo's POV]

Everything was bathed in pitch black, till my eyelids slowly opened, letting in the light that illuminated my surroundings. Then all of a sudden, my eyes grew wide and I snapped up straight, my hands feeling all over my chest like I was having some sort of hallucination. I stopped and looked down at the clean, blue shirt I was wearing without any undone buttons. I then looked over at what was lying next to me – Nothing. _It…It was just…a dream. It's okay. She's not here anymore. _I set my hands by my side as I calmed myself and felt my breathing and heartbeat come to a steady rhythm. My eyes opened again when I finally relaxed and they immediately fell upon my sword wrapped in a white cloth and leaned against the wall at the corner of the room. Right when I was about to get out of bed, the door burst open and Rima rushed in, hurling herself onto me.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" she asked, her hands on my face, wiping away my hair to get a better look at me from multiple angles.

"Rima…I'm-"

"Goddammit, Takuma!" she cursed, wrapping her arms around my neck and embracing me so tightly that I felt my air pipe squeeze shut. "You always make me so goddamn worried!"

"Sorry, I tried to restrain her. But she's way too fast for me," a familiar voice said. I looked up once Rima let go and saw Senri standing at the doorway.

"Senri," I said his name, unable to believe my sight. Aido arrived by his side at the door, glaring at the two of them.

"Don't you two have any sense whatsoever? Ichijo is exhausted. Let him rest before you start harassing him again," he lectured.

"He was already up when we came in," Rima said, sitting with me on the bed. She turned to face me again. "I thought you'd never come back," she told me in a sudden quiet tone. I looked down at her hand in her lap and placed mine over hers, clasping my fingers in her hold.

"I told you I would," I replied, raising only one corner of my mouth for a half smile.

"Rima…Senri…" Yuki called their names as she approached them. "I know you two really want to talk with Ichijo-san, but we should let him rest some more. He's not fully recuperated yet."

"Fine," Rima quietly said, getting up from my bed and walking over to the others. "Get some more sleep. We'll all be waiting for you downstairs," she then said, smiling for once. Senri gave me a quick nod following afterwards.

"How come you listen to her and not me?" Aido stammered at Rima.

"Because she isn't a moron," Rima bluntly answered back, closing the door. I couldn't resist the smile that beamed on my face as I listened to their voices echo down the hall and disappear downstairs.

xxx

[Several days later…Yuki's POV]

I looked up at myself in the mirror of the vanity table in my room, gazing deep into my red eyes. "Why did I do it?" I said to myself. "I should've waited…I should've known he would come back." My hands came up and covered my face, my fingers rubbing my eyes as my hair fell along my back and over my shoulders.

"Yuki." I turned around and saw Kaname coming up to me.

"Everybody's downstairs. Are you ready?" he asked, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"I don't…really want to go downstairs," I replied, playing with my fingernails. He took the hair clip sitting on the table and clipped it into my hair.

"Ichijo is here too," he added, gently stroking my hair. "You should at least say 'hi'."

Holding on to Kaname's hand, I walked with him down the stairs and joined the others in the living room. It had been so long since I've seen every one of us together again – Kain, Ruka, Aido, Rima, Senri, Takuma and us. All of us were there, except for one person - probably the one person he wanted to see most.

"Hey! It's my turn already, dammit!" Aido complained.

"Don't you think it's time that you give other people a chance to hug him?" Ruka asked irritably with her hands on her hips, glaring at Rima still refusing to release Ichijo from her embrace.

"Go get your own blonde friend," Rima retorted back, tightening her hold.

"Hi, Yuki," Ichijo called to me when he saw Kaname and I approach them. At that moment, Rima finally let go. He took several steps and stood in front of me, smiling just like before. _I still can't believe that I'm seeing him like this face to face again. No suit, no gloves, no restraints…Just a green polo and pants and that same overjoyed smile…_I couldn't even dare imagine the crack on his face when I finally tell him the truth. I didn't even realize it when I stood up on my tiptoes to bring my arms around his neck.

"I've missed you, Ichijo-san," I said with a small smile.

xxx

The seven of us grouped around the table in the dining room when Ichijo had left. It was obvious that all of us were relieved and jubilant to have our friend back, but to think that the problem was over was a naïve mistake. The smiles that were on all of us just moments before were no longer present.

"So what're we going to do?" Hanabusa asked. "Tell him?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Senri responded.

"But he hasn't mentioned her at all ever since he got back," Rima put in. "If he was like himself before, he would've been screaming out her name and trying everything he could to see her. But so far...He's done nothing."

"I'm surprised he didn't go see her first," Ruka remarked, crossing her legs as she sat in the chair. "He came here instead."

"So…She doesn't remember anything at all?" Kain asked.

"Nothing," Rima answered. "Yuki and I even went to see her several weeks ago. We told stories, showed pictures, but she just stared at us like we were crazy."

"You can't just drop love stories onto her like that and think she's gonna' buy it. Of course she'll think you're nuts," Senri commented, supporting himself with his arms on the table.

"She's going to think we're all crazy regardless of what any of us say," I suddenly spoke out. They all turned to look at me. "I did exactly what she told me to do, and this…this was _exactly_ what she wanted. This was how hard she wanted remembering to be." We all remained quiet, with only the sound of our breathing audible.

"So how are we going to tell him?" Rima asked.

"We're not," I replied. Once again, all eyes were on me. "You yourself even said that he hasn't even spoken her name once. Obviously, something's changed. And if it be the worst, then there'd be no point in telling him the truth." Though they said nothing, I could feel the oppositions and objections that were building up.

Senri then broke the silence, "Kaname, what do you think?" I turned to him sitting beside me, who was also pondering on the matter the entire time.

"We all have to accept the fact that Yoka has moved on. She made her choice," he said. "I don't know about Ichijo, and it's not my place to read his mind. But taking into consideration of the circumstances, telling him the truth would do no good for either of them."

"So that's it? We're just not gonna' mention her at all?" Aido asked, appearing quite stirred.

"What if he asks?" Senri added.

"Then he'll find out," Rima responded. "That she's let go…and moved on." Once again, the room was uncomfortably silent. Rima looked up and saw that I was also giving her the same look of uncertainty and hesitance.

"It's the best…for the both of them," I then said. "That way, neither would get hurt…" _How sure can I be that what I just said is true? Is this really the only choice? Together we made a very indefinite decision. And I wonder…Is it the one that's going to work?_

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**I think this chapter answers some of the questions concerning Chapter 1 of Part 1. If it doesn't, hopefully the next few will. Thank you for taking the time to read. Hope you've enjoyed it. Please review if you have time.**


	6. She's Gone

**Argh! I HATE writer's block! But I made it! Enjoy**

**I don't own VK.**

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[Shiki's POV]

"You heading out?"

I turned around and saw Rima walk into my bedroom. "Yeah," I responded, picking out a simple white and blue zip-up hoody. I slipped into it and looked at Rima standing beside me. "What? Ran out of Pocky sticks?" I asked, seeing the bag of cookies in her hand.

"I ate the last box on my way up the stairs," she responded with a kiddy smile.

"I'll go pick up some more on my way back," I said, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"You're going to see Takuma, aren't you?" she inquired, already knowing the answer. She folded the top of the bag of snacks, resealing it. "You didn't have much of a reaction that time we went to see him when he just got back," she remarked.

"What was I suppose to do? Hop into the air and click my heels together?" I responded with a straight face.

"Do whatever you want," she replied, waving me away as she turned around to walk out the room. But she stopped in front of the doorway. "I just thought that as his friend, you'd be a little happier to see him." I kept quiet and she left.

_Happier? Come on, Rima…You of all should know how glad I am that Takuma's back. But the three of us being as close as we are, I can't believe how easily you've overlooked everything. Takuma and Yoka wouldn't just end like this. Something's not right._

xxx

I drove my car to the front door, looking out at the house from the passenger window on my right. Believe it or not, I had never been to the Ichijo's estate in this area. The family had several properties scattered throughout Japan, and I've only been to one of them. I imagined that hardly any of them were being used, especially since his grandfather's death. I stepped onto the stoned steps with a queer jolt shooting up my legs. _Do I really want to do this? Do I really want to know what's upsetting him?_ It was then that a thought hit me. Rima always told me to start acting like a good friend and quit being so _cool_ all the time. _So I'm gonna' listen to her._ I reached over and rang the doorbell. _And start acting like a friend._

"It's okay. I got it," I heard Ichijo's voice call out from the inside.

"Don't be too harsh," I reminded myself right before the door opened.

"Senri," he said with a cheerful surprise.

"Hey," I greeted back.

"You should've called before you came," he said. "I would've prepared some tea for you. I just had some specially imported from England."

_Takuma always did love his teas…_

"Actually," he then added. "I can still prepare some right now. Come on in." He closed the door and I followed him deeper into the house till we reached the other side where the kitchen was located. I slid my fingers on the marbled surface as I made my way around the counter to where Takuma was standing by the sink.

"You came at the right moment," he began, filling up the tea kettle with water. "I just got back from Hong Kong this morning, and I'm leaving for France tomorrow."

"You've been leaving the country a lot," I commented, hopping onto the counter to sit on. My hands lay against the table to support my back. "If I remember correctly, last week it was Switzerland and Denmark," I said.

"And you can't forget Rome," he added with a smile, placing the kettle onto the stove. "You should come with me next time. It'll be fun."

_He's spending all this money traveling around and just having "fun". What's this guy up to?_

"I don't have to wear a toga, do I?" I asked, trying to prolong the conversation. He chuckled to himself and shook his head.

"No…No togas are required."

"So is this all you've been doing?" I asked. "Traveling to all these places?"

"Yeah, pretty much," he answered, reaching into the cupboard to take out the tea set. "Traveling isn't as relaxing as you think. It's actually quite stressful at times."

"Why?" He turned to look at me.

"Why it's stressful?"

"No. Why are you doing this?" I clarified. He set the cup down and closed the cupboard.

"Well, it's fun," he replied, smiling.

"That's not the reason," I corrected. _Am I taking this too fast?_ He looked back at me strangely, confused by my sudden remark.

"Um…I'm sorry," he started. "But is there something on your mind that you need to get out?"

_See? Takuma isn't as dumb as he pretends to be._

"It's just a simple question," I responded, bringing out my poker face. "Why do you keep leaving the country?"

"I told you." Takuma's smile began to disappear, his facial expression becoming more and more like mine. "It's for fun," he finished, not smiling at all.

"I don't think so…You were never the travelling type," I pointed out. "Your idea of fun is sitting down with a pot of freshly brewed tea and a stack of manga. What are you running away from?" _Whoa! Where did that idea come from?_ I could sense a tinge of worry in Takuma as he stared back at me.

"I never said I was running."

"You didn't need to. It's obvious enough…You're running away from, Yoka." It was like an arrow pierced right through him when those words came out of my mouth. I could see the muscle along his jaw tighten as he stared back at me.

"Senri…Why did you come to see me?" he was finally able to ask.

"You haven't mentioned her once, since you got back," I said, disregarding his question. "If you love her as much as you did before Sara, shouldn't you be dying to know where she is right now and how she's doing?" He remained silent. "But instead, you're pretending to be happy and trying to move on, when in fact, you're unable to." He tightened his grip on the edge of the table. "You keep leaving, because staying here makes you think of her, doesn't it?" I said with conviction. I could tell he was biting down on the inside of his cheeks, preventing himself from saying anything back. The kettle whistled as the water came to a boil. He didn't answer and faced the stove, turning off the fire.

"I think you should leave," he quietly said, refusing to look at me.

"If I'm right," I said instead. "Why don't you go and see her?"

"I can't," I heard him say under his breath.

_What does he mean he "can't"?_ I saw a sign of guilt in his eyes as they stared at his hands on the kitchen counter. _He's not telling me something. What is it?_

"Takuma…"

But he cut me off before I could finish, "Is it…" He hesitated a bit. "Is it one's fault, if they were forced into something…something bad?" he asked. I looked back at him, a bit taken aback by his question.

"I…" But I stopped in my answer. _What right do I have to answer this question when I myself was such a victim before?_ "I…don't think so…" I answered, uncertainly. "I mean…They were…_forced_…" My reply must've not satisfied him, for he still appeared in unease. "What were you forced into?" I then asked. There was no answer. "Was it something with Sara?" And at the mention of her name, the top of the kettle exploded with the hot water bursting out from the opening. I jumped from the sudden eruption, staring at the pot and then at Takuma, who left the room. I stuck my hands into my hair, scratching my head and watching the kitchen door swing back and forth. _If all I was doing was to try and be a good friend, why is it that I feel like I just made everything worse?_

[Ichijo's POV]

I closed the door to my room with my back against it. The curtains were shut, not leaving a single trace of sunlight in. I looked up at the ceiling and then closed my eyes, waiting for my heart to slow down. But it didn't. Coming to the center of the room, I knelt down and flipped the carpet over. My fingers ran through the cracks in the floor, finding the right one quickly. The loose board easily came out, revealing my childhood safe. I reached into the abyss, and took out the long, slender object once my fingers touched the cloth wrapped around its outside. I untied the string around it and carefully unfolded the sheet. I had not laid eyes on the blade since the escape almost two weeks ago. A cold feel traveled under my skin as my fingers traced the steel.

_I thought this was the path to freedom…The only way to see her again._

_But was it?_

In a single movement, I grabbed the sword and hurled it in the opposite direction, sending it piercing into the door. My lungs expanded and reduced as I took in heavy breaths.

_I should've known that everything came with a price._

_What was the price of my choice?_

_My dignity…_

xxx

[Several days later...]

It was the maid that opened the door for me. I smiled at her like I would any other person.

"Good afternoon," I greeted. "Is the mistress home?" She blushed slightly from my endearing mannerism.

"Yes," she answered back sweetly. "I'll go get her. Please, come in first." She shut the door once I stepped in and disappeared up the stairs.

"Takuma?" I turned around and saw Rima and Senri, standing at the front of the hall. I walked over to them.

"What're you doing here?" I asked.

"I came to talk to Yuki," she replied. "And Senri decided to tag along." I glanced over at him, standing beside her. He gave me a nod in the place of his hello.

"You and Yuki seem to be getting along really well," I remarked with no means of offense. "I thought you had your opinions of her."

"That was a year ago," she said, actually smiling. "Things changed."

"Yeah," I thought to myself. "Things _have_ changed…" We turned to see Yuki walking down the stairs with the maid following close behind her.

"Well, this is a surprising visit," Yuki said, approaching the three of us. "Kaname isn't home at the moment. He's at another one of those boring meetings, but you're welcome to stay here to wait for him."

"That's kind of you, Yuki, but I'm not here to see Kaname," I responded. "I came to see _you._"

"Oh," she managed to say, a little surprised. Both Rima and Shiki were also staring at me from my response.

"_Can_ we talk?" I asked, wanting to make sure.

She smiled at me warmly and then replied, "Of course." Then she turned to the other two and told them, "Could you give us a moment?" Rima nodded and Senri observed me closely before they turned around and went into the other part of the house. I followed Yuki to the living room. We took our seats on the couches in the middle around the coffee table. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked, looking up at me.

"How…" I suddenly stopped. _Here I am sitting in front of Yuki, wanting to ask her, and yet…Now that I think about…What right do I have to ask?_ _But I…I still want to know…_"How is Yoka?" I asked, my voice faltering a bit at the end. I looked up at her when I heard no reply. She stared back at me her mouth slightly ajar. _I think she just stopped breathing. Is my question this surprising?_ "Yuki?" I said, making sure she could still here me. She blinked several times but her gaze remained fixed on me.

"I don't know," I barely heard her say.

"What?" _What does she mean she doesn't know? This wasn't the response I was expecting to get._ She hesitated to reply, and I remained quiet until she did.

"I…I don't know," she said again. She tightened her grip on her hands in her lap. "Yoka's gone."

I took a deep breath, but the air never exhaled. _Gone? Did I hear her correctly?_ She saw the shock that overcame my appearance. I looked off to the side, quickly going into a deep thought.

"What…" I couldn't even speak. "What happened?"

"She left," another voice answered. I turned around and saw Rima, leaning against the wall of the hall. Senri stood behind her, straying his eyes away from us. "She left the country after graduating," Rima then said. "She couldn't stay anymore…So she left. I'm sorry." She looked down at the ground, lowering her head as if in remorse. I turned back to look at Yuki. She remained still with every inch of her body stiff as a stick. Then I leaned back into the couch, staring off into nothing as my mind fell into a black hole.

_Ever since I got back, I've been trying not to think of her…Because I thought that I wasn't worthy enough, that she deserved someone that wasn't as tainted as I was. I traveled to keep myself busy and away from here, so that I wouldn't be inclined to try and find her. But it seemed like every day I stayed away, I wanted to see her even more. I love Yoka so much that I thought that us being together wasn't fair for her. And now, all that running away has brought me to this._

_She's gone…And I'm the one that didn't do anything about it…_

xxx

[Third person POV]

Rima ran into one of the Kuran's empty rooms. Senri swung the door open, following after her.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" he said to her, almost shouting. "_She left the country?_"

"What would you have me say? I'm sorry, Takuma, but Yoka's doesn't remember _shit_ about you?" Rima bashed back. "This was what we agreed on!"

"But we're his friends!"

"And the others aren't?" She looked at him bewildered. "Senri, you even said that Takuma was running away from her."

"I never confirmed that," he quickly remarked. The two of them both looked away from one another, Rima with her arms crossed and Senri running his hand through his hair. They turned to the door as it gently opened and Yuki came in. Rima walked over to her as she closed the door.

"Did he say anything?" Rima asked her. The young pureblood shook her head. She then looked up at the two of them.

"We should tell the others what happened today," Yuki suggested.

"Why?" Senri questioned.

"Because if we just told Takuma that Yoka was out of the country, she needs to _be_ 'out of the country'." Rima brought her arms around herself, feeling a sudden chill run through her body.

"If this is the right thing to do…" she began, clutching tighter onto herself, "Why do I still feel like shit?"

"It probably isn't the right thing to do," Yuki responded, placing her hand over her shoulder. "But it's what's going to work…for now…"

* * *

**Phew...Finally got this out of the way. I'm thinking that we can revert back to the present time line probably in the next chapter, so stay tuned and thank you so much for reading and reviewing :)**


	7. Doing What Works

**The story is returning back to the present, so I'd suggest rereading the first part of Chapter 1 in Part 1 in case you don't remember. But if you have an awesome memory, then don't sweat it :)**

**I don't own VK.**

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[Third person POV...5 years later...present time]

The light turned on, illuminating his room as the buzzing continued. Takuma turned to his side to look at the clock.

"It's five o'clock in the morning. I have a meeting in three hours. Who can it be?" With his face buried in his pillow, his hand reached over to the night table and picked up his cellphone. "Hello?" he answered, drowsily.

"I need to talk to you," the person from the other line spoke. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Yuki? Is that you?"

"I'm at the café across the street," she said before hanging up.

Takuma looked at his phone for a moment and then dropped it onto his bed. _What can it be that's this important? I just saw her yesterday._ He got up and went over to his closet, trying to rid the fogginess in his eyes. He took the white t-shirt in his drawer and threw a black jacket over it before heading out the door. His hand came over his mouth, yawning as the elevator descended. Once at the sidewalk, Takuma could already see Yuki sitting by the enormous glass window inside the small café. _The sun isn't even out yet and there's already people coming in and out to get coffee. What's wrong with them? I thought humans_ _slept when it was dark._ His fingers pushed his hair back but the golden strands fell back into place. "I guess I shouldn't keep her waiting," he said to himself, placing both hands into his pockets. The small bell on top of the door rang when he opened it. Yuki looked up from her cup of coffee.

"How did you know I had an apartment in this part of town?" he asked, approaching to where she was sitting.

She stood up from the cozy armchair, her hands clutching tightly onto each other.

"Rima told me," she replied. He took notice of all her fidgeting, but before he could mention it, she spoke again. "Takuma…Sit down, please?" He did so, keeping his eyes on her as she took her seat as well. He watched her reach for the mug out of the three that wasn't empty but then set it back down again.

"So what is it?" he asked, becoming a bit overwhelmed with curiosity.

She shifted nervously and then said, "I…don't know how else to say it, but it's about Yoka." His back straightened upon hearing her name.

He looked back at her intently and asked, almost in fear of the response back, "What about her?"

"She's here," Yuki forced from out of her mouth before her throat could tighten and completely constrict her vocal cords.

"You mean she's back?" he asked with a sudden eagerness.

"No," she answered, shaking her head and looking down at her hands in her lap and then back up at him. "She never left Japan." He looked back at her confused and stunned by her remark.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "I thought she left after graduating."

She shook her head again and replied, "She didn't. She was always here."

Takuma shifted stiffly in his seat, his eyes falling to the floor. _She's still here…But then that would mean that Yuki, Rima…They lied?_

"So you and Rima lied to me?"

"It's not like that," she quickly said, hoping that he wouldn't suddenly explode.

"Does Kaname know?" he asked before she could continue.

"Yes," she answered quietly.

"Akatsuki, Ruka, Hanabusa?"

She nodded in response.

"We all knew," she said, afraid to look up at him. "And we all agreed not to say anything about it." When she finally had the guts to look back up, Yuki saw Takuma sitting back in his chair, with his chin in his hand as he stared off to the side.

"Where is she?" he asked, his eyes meeting hers.

"Cross Academy," Yuki said.

"She's still there?"

"She teaches there." Yuki squeezed her hands as she looked down at them and then she began in a quiet voice, "I don't know what you're thinking or what you're going to do, but please…At least let me tell you what happened."

[Yuki's POV]

And I did. I told him everything…

_I myself was not with Yoka during the year that followed all of our disappearances. She refused to write or call me. But I learned from Yori that she wasn't taking very good care of herself. She hardly ate and she rarely slept. It didn't take long for her to end up having to go to the hospital due to her deteriorating health. After returning back to Cross, she started writing to me. Yori also informed me that she was doing much better: eating properly, getting enough rest, and doing well in school again. In her letters she told me that it hurt when she thought about you, but she was going to keep hoping…She was going to keep hoping until you came back._

_She and Yori visited me several times at home during the next year. She was so different…Her eyes were faded and her smile was empty. During one of her visits, she asked Kaname and me if we found anything about you. We told her the truth – that we stopped looking and you were gone. She didn't believe us though. Then, on her last visit that year, she came to me and told me as she cried that she was tired…Tired of hoping and smiling when it hurt so badly inside._

_You may hate me for what I said next, but I couldn't keep watching her suffer like that…So I gave her an offer…An offer to stop the pain and start over. I told her that as a vampire, I could erase her memories if she wanted me to. But she said 'no'. She still wanted to remember you._

_At the beginning of her first year in a university, Yoka came to visit me again. She told me that she couldn't stop thinking about you all this time. She wanted to, but she couldn't. You were holding her down from everything…So she told me to take it away. She wanted me to erase all her memories…of you._

_And I did._

I could tell that all of this was so hard for him to take in. But I had to tell him. Takuma remained quiet for a moment when I finished. Then he opened his mouth but words didn't immediately come out.

"She's at Cross?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," I answered. "The Chairman offered her a position about two years ago. Rima and I try to visit at least once a month."

"You…visit her?"

"Yeah," Yuki said. "Sometimes Rima visits even more than I do. The others also come when they can." I watched him as he rubbed his eye and then the side of his face.

Then he turned to me and asked, "Why didn't you tell me the truth?" I knew this question was coming sooner or later. I took in a breath of air before answering.

"After we saw that you were still alive, we tried to see if we could help Yoka recover her memories. We talked about you, showed pictures, but…she still couldn't remember. Then when you came back, we noticed that you didn't mention her at all. We thought that maybe…you had forgotten her. That's when we all agreed that it was probably best if we just didn't say anything…So that both of you could move on." I looked out the window and then admitted, "But I guess…We were wrong."

"Yoka…How is she?" I turned to him, seeing that he was looking down at his hands.

"She's good," I honestly answered back.

He turned to see the server behind the counter and then replied as he faced me again, "Then maybe you did do the right thing. She wanted to move on, to be happy…And she is. Maybe now it's time for me to do the same."

_What is he saying? Is he giving up?_

He stood up from his chair and gave me a small smile that barely showed. "Yuki, thank you for telling me this," he said and then walked out the café. I grabbed my purse and ran after him across the street, slamming the door shut before he could go into the apartment complex.

"No! This is not what you want!" I shouted at him.

"I want whatever she wants…And she wants to forget," he calmly replied.

"But that's not it! You know what she really wanted…_To be with you_!" He wouldn't look at me, but I could see how difficult this was for him. _I can't let him do this! We may have failed, but he hasn't even tried!_ "If you still love her, then go to her."

* * *

**I just realized how short this chapter is. I apologize for that. But now we can finally bring Yoka back into the story :)**


	8. This is what I Want

**Fast update! This is for those that would literally hunt my ass down and butcher me if I said that I had writer's block and didn't update till late fall. I'm about to start school next week, and I just wanted to get this out before I pass out from lectures and pulling all-nighters. Thanks for all the reviews! So sit back, read slowly, and enjoy the chapter :)**

**I don't own VK.**

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[Ichijo's POV]

I remained sitting on my bed for the past hour, staring at…nothing. It was ten till nine. The meeting at the office had long started. My cellphone lay motionless and silent beside me. My hand reached over to take it but stopped halfway and then retracted back.

"Do I even have the right to go to her?" I asked myself, looking at the phone and then back at my hands.

[Flashback]

"_If you still love her, then go to her!"_ _I stared back at Yuki, her red eyes seeing right through my mask._

_"I…can't," I said, almost choking on my words. "It's not fair for her."_ _She was overcome with confusion after hearing what I said._

_"What're you saying?" she asked._ _I released my hold on the door handle._

_"Yuki," I began, quietly. "I…"_ _I stopped, looking away at her, unable to bear the thought of what I was about to reveal._ _"I've done something that she should never forgive me for."_ _My gaze avoided hers at all cost. The shame and guilt of what I had been forced to do still resided inside all these years, slowly eating away at me from the inside out. I heard no response back, assuming that shock and probably disgust had overwhelmed her._ _"I can't go back to Yoka," I then added. "It's…not fair for her…To have someone as filthy as I am."_ _There was still no response, and I didn't want one. I reached for the door and opened it. Yuki suddenly took my hand before I could step in. She let go when I stopped to turn and face her, like the damned facing the righteous._

"_She was the one that still had hope of your return," Yuki then said. "Even when the rest of us mocked such an idea…I don't know the details or the reasons of what happened, but if Yoka loves you as much as she did before all this mess…I believe that she'd forgive you."_ _She titled her head to the side, trying to get me to quit cowering from her gaze._ "_The problem isn't whether or not she'd forgive you…But whether or not you can forgive yourself."_ _I then saw her lips form a small smile and she said, "You're always doing what makes us happy. Don't you think it's time that you started to fight for your own happiness?"_

[End of flashback]

The touch of plastic against my skin felt uncertain yet right at the same time. I brought the phone to my ear once I dialed the number.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"Angela, it's me."

"Ichijo-san! Where are you? The board members started the meeting an hour ago!" my secretary stressed. There was a quick pause, and then she asked in a more settled tone, "Is everything alright, sir?"

"Is there any room in my schedule?" I asked back instead.

"Ummm…No," she replied. "You're completely booked for the next three weeks. And you still have lunch with the representative from Germany today and the second part of this morning's meeting from three to five AND dinner at six with the gentleman from the water supply charity." I stared at the carpeted floor of my room as I listened.

"Angela, I want you to cancel everything," I told her.

"W-w-WHAT? EVERYTHING?"

"And don't add anymore events."

"Even your trip to London tomorrow?"

"Everything," I laconically replied.

"Sir…" I could sense the fear of questioning me lingering in her voice. "Cancel until when?" she asked.

"Till I'm finished with what I have to do. For now, you'll be in charge of everything."

"ME?" she suddenly burst out. "But I-"

"Don't worry," I assured. "You'll do fine." I brought the phone away from my ear and stood up from my bed, looking at myself in the mirror, hanging on the wall. _I've been looking for her ever since they told me she left. And yet, I never thought about what I'd do when I actually did find her. Would I go see her and just watch from afar, thinking that I didn't deserve her? Or would I approach her and pray to the heavens that she'd forgive me?...But those aren't my options anymore. Now, before she can forgive, she has to remember. And before she does that…I have to forgive myself._ I walked out of my room and snatched up the keys sitting on the kitchen counter. And then I walked out the door of my apartment.

…_And I finally have._

xxx

The window of the car rolled down as my eyes lay sight on the gates of Cross Academy. I opened the door and placed both feet on the cemented ground. _I drove two and a half hours and here I am. I haven't stepped foot on campus in years, and the last memory here wasn't the most pleasant._ The school looked pretty much the same as before, except for the new reconstructed entrance. Then I noticed the new classrooms that replaced where the Moon Dorm once stood. I walked past the gates and onto the school grounds. Though everything physically appeared relatively the same, the atmosphere seemed…_different_. Students were everywhere, hanging around, sitting on benches, chatting. _I guess with the Night Class gone, the rules became more lenient. And I also see that Chairman Cross still has the same taste in uniforms…_All sorts of whispers and giggles suddenly came into hearing. That was when I noticed all the girls glancing over at me with smiles and eyes shaped as hearts. _Maybe I just imagined the eyes, but they're definitely staring at me! It's like high school all over!_ But I was surprised to see that I wasn't as flirtatious and hormone-driven as I was during my early years here. There was no sudden impulse to wink, wave, or even smile beautifully back. _That's because there's only one person on my mind right now, the same one that's been on my mind for the past six years._

I quickly strolled down the path, coming face to face with the pillars at the entrance to the classrooms. There was a group of girls standing in the small garden at the center of the building. At first, I disregarded them, but then noticed the one with her back facing me. I stopped walking and turned my head to see her. She was a small figure with long black hair that fell straight a little under her shoulder blades. _She looks…just like her! From the back that is. But the hair…It's shorter. Can it be? That's impossible!_ I could not further resist myself and cautiously approached the group, gently tapping the girl on the shoulder as those around her looked up at me as the complete stranger that I was. She turned around, her hair swooshing from side to side, and to my expectation, it wasn't Yoka. _It's the eyes…They're not the same. The color's different too. It's lavender. Wait a sec…Is that…_

"Alice?" her name fluidly came out of my mouth.

"Oh my god! Ichijo-san?" She grabbed me in a tight hug, squeezing the air out of me. "It's so good to see you!" she exclaimed, finally releasing me and giving me the chance to breathe again. "Wow, it's been a long time!" A huge smile beamed onto Alice's face like a child seeing the sweets displayed at the candy shop. She resembled her sister so much, their smiles almost identical.

"You know this guy?" one of the girls next to her asked, astonished.

"Yeah! He was my sister's…boyfriend," she replied, a little hesitant towards the end.

"He's a total hunk, if you ask me," another one stated, eyeing me in a way that I found to be quite disturbing. I grinned to myself, rubbing my shoulder and feeling a bit embarrassed by all the attention.

"They're too young for me," I humorously reminded myself.

"So what are you doing here?" Alice then asked.

"I'm actually looking for your sister," I replied. "I heard that she teaches here."

"Yup, Professor Hananzo – history class," she said, rolling her eyes in a playful manner as the others also did the same. "I still have late assignments in that class."

_She teaches history…I would expect nothing else._

"Is she here today?" I asked, trying to contain my eagerness.

"She's here _every _day," one of her friends answered for me, chuckling with the others.

"Well, she does teach every history class the Chairman throws at her," Alice commented.

"Can you take me to her?" I politely asked back.

"Sure," she kindly replied. Alice turned to her friends and then said, "I'll see you guys at lunch, okay?"

"See ya, Alice," they responded as she and I continued down the hallway.

"It's nice to see you again, Alice. You've grown a lot," I told her, when the two of us reached the hall of classrooms.

"Yeah…It's been a while, but you look just as cute," she said with a small giggle. "I'm serious. You haven't changed a bit." I smiled from her response, looking down at the floor with my hands in my pockets. The two of us walked past several classrooms without another word, and then she suddenly stopped walking. I eventually stopped as well and turned to see what was wrong. She was looking back at me, holding onto her textbook with both hands.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Ichijo-san…" she began in a much more serious tone. "What happened to you?"

I didn't know how to answer. _I was kidnapped by a pureblood and held captive for almost two years. Yeah, like she's really going to believe that._ "It's complicated," I finally replied. "Something happened, and we had to be separated." It was obvious that my answer was not enough. But to my relief, she did not question further. "So you go to school here now?" I asked, changing the subject once we continued walking.

"Yup," she cheerfully said back, returning to her usual self. "After the Chairman gave sis the job offer, he said that I could study here with no worries of tuition."

"That's kind of the Chairman," I responded, speaking more to myself than her.

"Yeah, he's weird but a nice guy," she added.

"Yes he is," I quietly agreed, suddenly thinking of how Cross went through so much trouble to have Kaname and many of us nobles from well-known families attend this academy and bring to life his goal of pacifism among the species. She suddenly took me by the sleeve of my blazer and stopped me from walking.

"Takuma…You do know about the accident right?" she asked.

"What accident?" I asked back, confused. _Is she referring to the memory loss? What did the others tell her to cover up for that?_

"Several years ago, sis fell down a flight of stairs."

"Was she okay?" I interrupted, trying to play along.

"Well, she had a concussion."

_A concussion? Why do I have a feeling that Rima told her that?_ "Is she okay now?" I asked.

"I don't think she remembers you," Alice frankly replied. "I asked her about you and she was as clueless as a three-year-old.

"Oh," was all that came out of my mouth.

"I hope you're not too disappointed," she said, trying to sympathize with me.

"It's fine," I told her, smiling warmly. "Is it still okay for me to see her?" She smiled back and nodded, glad to see my persistence. We stopped in front of a classroom more towards the others side of the building.

"This is it," she said, pointing at the door. "Room 228…She still has class though. But you can take a peek if you want."

I stared at the door, frozen in place. This was it. I was finally going to see her again. The idea seemed so far before, but now…It was right in front of me. All I had to do was walk up and just _look_. I peered into the small window of the door, seeing the large classroom identical to the ones that I use to study in. More than half the seats were filled with students, _humans of course. _There was one person, walking up and down the steps, observing the students as they completed their work. Her heels made her seem taller with the black pants and blue blouse. The small pair of glasses she had fell to the tip of her nose and her black hair was brushed up into a bun, leaving her long bangs, falling along her face. As she walked down the steps, closer to the door where I was, I could see the blue in her eyes glisten from the light in the room. A small, kind smile remained on her face as she walked past one student after the other. She looked even more beautiful than I remembered. She didn't look sad or empty. Her eyes were filled with life, her presence radiating among everyone else. _Yoka…I can't believe I'm seeing your face again._ Overcome with my sight, I didn't even notice my racing heart and my burning skin. At that moment, I just couldn't take my eyes off her. I didn't _ever_ want to.

"Class should be over in a few minutes," Alice then put in, leaning against the wall next the door. I finally blinked and was able to move over next to her against the wall, thinking it'd be best not to get into the students' way when they got out. We didn't wait long till the door opened and the first student walked out. I straightened up, holding onto the door for Alice once the last person exited the room.

"Come to turn in your paper on the Vietnam War?" Yoka _[Uh…I mean "Professor Hananzo"]_ asked without even looking up at us come in as she walked around picking up the pieces of paper lying face down on each desk. Alice flinched from her sister's unexpected question. She combed her fingers through her hair as her face flushed crimson, trying to force out a natural laugh.

"Hehehe…I'll turn it in tomorrow. I promise!" she replied with an innocent smile. Yoka walked over to her, setting the pile of papers down as she past her desk. She playfully yet with strength pinched Alice's cheeks with both hands, bringing her little sister closer to her face.

"I love you, Alice," she began, smilingly warmly. "But I _will_ sit your ass down and watch you finish typing to the very last period of the page if I have to," she finished, tugging on her cheeks with the elegant smile still lingering on her lips.

"Yes ma'am," Alice responded, giving her a salute. I grinned to myself, watching the sisterly love before me.

_She's still the same, even as a teacher._

[Yoka's POV]

My eyes looked up from Alice and there he was – a _weirdo_ just standing there, watching the two of us. _What a creep! Who is this guy?_ I let go of Alice and took off my glasses, which were about to slip off of my nose.

"Hi," I greeted, thinking it was the polite thing to do regardless of how odd this person seemed.

"Oh, right!" Alice then said. She took me by the arm and led me closer to the man.

"Yoka, this is – Well…You introduce yourself," she said to him.

The guy smiled remarkably and held out his hand to me as he said in a soothing voice that numbed my knees, "My name's Takuma Ichijo. It's a pleasure to meet you."

_Takuma, Takuma, Takuma…His name…It's familiar. He's probably part of the memories…that I don't remember…_

"Yoka!"

I shook my head a little, blinking myself awake back to the present moment. Alice was staring at me and Ichijo still had his hand held out.

"It's nice to meet you," I replied, appearing a bit slower than usual as I took his hand. At the moment of our skins touching, something became way off. I didn't know what it was or why, but the warmth that grew inside from when I first laid eyes on him finally became obvious to me. It was like I almost dreaded when our hands separated.

"You probably don't remember me," he then began. "But we use to go to school here together."

"Oh…I think Yuki or Rima mentioned you or something," I responded.

"I'm sure they have," he remarked. "I use to be in the Night Class."

"Oh…" _Night Class? No wonder I don't remember him. The boys in that class were all morons, well, most of them at least._ "So…What can I help you with?"

"Oh…I don't need any help," he answered, smiling. "I just um…" He started rubbing his neck nervously and his face began turning slightly pink all of a sudden.

_Why is he suddenly becoming so shy? He was doing fine a moment ago._

"I was just in the area, running some business errands, and…I thought I'd drop by and say 'hi', since we haven't met in a while."

"Oh," I replied again.

_I honestly don't know what to say…I don't remember anything about him. This is awk-waaard!_ We were silent for a moment, glancing awkwardly at the walls that at each other.

"Um, I gonna' go to lunch now," Alice said, looking up at the clock above the door. "Will you be okay finding your way out?" she asked, Ichijo.

He nodded and said, "It was really nice to see you again, Alice."

"Hopefully, I'll see you again soon," she replied and then walked to the door. "I'll see you at home," she said to me before walking out. I moved past Ichijo and to the doorway, sticking my head out into the hall.

"Don't forget to do your paper!" I called out to her as she continued further down. "Sorry about that," I apologized to him once I stepped back into the room. _So he said hello. What else does he want?_ "I hope you're not taking my sudden stupidity to heart," I then remarked. "I just…don't exactly remember you. You said you were in the Night Class?"

"Yeah, I was roommates with Senri," he responded.

"Oh, Senri…He and Rima dropped by last week," I said, crossing my arms as I sat on the corner of one of the student desks. "They're on another shooting project, right?"

"Yeah…They're busier than us business people," he replied with a small smile. "I'm sorry," he suddenly added. "I'm probably taking up your lunch break right now, aren't I?"

"It's okay," I responded, standing up.

"But it's good to see you."

"I'm glad you dropped by," I said in return. _So he really did come just to talk for...not even five minutes? What a strange person..._He looked at me as he reached for the doorknob to the door that was already open. "It's…already open," I pointed out, grinning to myself.

"Oh," he brought his hand to the back of his neck as his cheeks burned slightly red from embarrassment. He then turned to face me again. "It's only been a few years, but you've grown a lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You've gotten a lot older."

_WHAT?_ I didn't need anyone to tell me that my entire complexion just collapsed when he said that. And without a doubt, he saw it as well. "Older as in 'wrinkled'?" I replied, greatly suppressing the ounce of anger that built up inside.

"No,no,no," he quickly said, waving his hands as he immediately sensed the offense in his comment. "I mean you're not like a raisin-"

"A _raisin_?" I placed my hands on my hips, glaring at him. _Is he begging for me to kick his ass?_

"NO!" he took back. "I mean-Um…You're more _mature_-"

"So I was _immature_ before?"

"NO!" he took back, _again_, slapping his hands onto his face. "It's just with the glasses and-"

"Are you making fun of my nearsightedness now?" I glared at him even more menacingly, my hands balling up into fists.

"Oh my god, NO! I would never!" he quickly added, seeing that he was just making matters worse. "I should just shut-up right now, shouldn't I?" he suggested, as I pushed up my sleeves and stomped towards him.

[Third person POV]

"Get-the hell-OUT!" Takuma flew out into the hall and the door to the classroom immediately slammed shut, even a small blind rolled down to cover the window on it. He rubbed the back of his head that had hit the wall behind him and got up onto his feet.

"That did not go well," he said to himself, rubbing his back. He looked up at the closed door that he just flew out of. "I forgot how literal she takes things sometimes…" he thought, but he wasn't discouraged.

_I may have just gotten thrown out of a room by a girl, but at least it was by the girl that I love. I'm like the invisible man to her, not even a spec in her life._ _But I'm not going to give up! You're going to remember, Yoka…Because I'm not ready to be forgotten. I'm going to fight for our memories. I'm going to fight for what I __want for a change…_

* * *

**Yoka's back, finally! I have to admit that this was entertaining to write :D**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it.**


	9. Flowers and Ice Cream

**I apologize for the lack of update. But here it is and enjoy.**

**I do not own VK. Some references go to Bram Stoker and Hellsing.**

* * *

[Yoka's POV]

I looked up at Alice from my reading of the newspaper.

"You know, that paper isn't going to type itself," I remarked, looking back down at the article.

I heard several more clicks of the keyboard and then another pause.

"So how'd it go today?" she suddenly asked me.

I lowered my paper and saw Alice turned around in her chair, looking back at me.

"Excuse me?" I asked back, slightly confused of what she was asking.

"You and Takuma-san," she casually responded.

_Oh…Him…_

"Fine," I said, tossing the paper onto the coffee table and taking off my reading glasses as I stood up from the armchair.

"Do you remember him?" she then asked.

"Nope," I answered, walking over to where she was by the computer. "You've been sitting here thirty minutes and you've only written two sentences?" I asked, wanting to end the talk on that subject.

"Did you think hard enough?" she questioned, completely disregarding my comment.

I looked back at her, strangely.

_Why is she so curious all of a sudden?_

"I'm not sure I _want_ to remember him," I then said, switching my gaze back to the computer screen. "The man's a complete moron." And just like that, the word document disappeared. Alice removed her hand from the mouse and stood up from the chair.

"Give him another shot," she said, almost sounding as if she was imploring me to grant such a request.

_What the…Why is she suddenly defending a guy that she barely knows?_

"Why?"

"Because he's a good guy," she replied without a moment to think.

"You hardly know him," I pointed out.

"But you do," she said back. "You knew him _reall_y well."

I uncrossed my arms, sliding my hands into the back pockets of my jeans as I looked off to the side.

_I can't believe I'm actually considering what she's saying…The man's an idiot!_

"Will you at least think about it?" Alice asked when I did not respond back.

I bit the corner of my mouth before I turned to face her again.

"Only if I see that paper on my desk first thing in the morning," I said, pointing at the computer with one finger as the other hand was on my hip.

_If I know Alice the way I believe I do, this matter has just ended. She's not going to finish the paper in time. I know that for a fact!_

xxx

[The next day…]

I opened the door to my classroom before the students even began making their way to the building. Emptiness suddenly spread through my stomach and waves of astonishment and disbelief encircled my mind when I closed the door behind me. I was wide awake by now with my gaze fixed in one direction. I slowly approached my desk in the center of the front of the classroom. My bag slipped from my fingers and fell to the ground with a 'thump'. My hand dropped the keys to the door onto the wooden surface of the desk and picked up the pieces of paper neatly stapled together at the top right-hand corner.

"Think about it," the yellow post-it note read at the center of the front page.

I flipped through the pages, counting a total of ten, not including the references page. Then I removed the note on the front and read the title that was hidden underneath it.

"The Causes and Effects of the Vietnam War, By Alice Hananzo…"

The bell tower sounded, and I looked up from the pages before me, seeing the rays of the sun shine brilliantly through the windows and into the classroom.

"I guess...I have to think about it," I said to myself and then looked back down at the completed essay with a small but impressed smirk formed by my lips.

xxx

I took off my glasses and softly rubbed my eyes along with the side of my face. My eye peaked through the crack of my fingers at the post-it note that I had stuck on the side of my coffee mug.

_What is there to think about?_

I leaned back against my chair, my hand still on my face. My hand then took its place on the armrest and I closed my eyes.

_Takuma…Takuma…Takuma…This name...I don't recognize it. I can't put it with any memories. I just don't remember him at all._

There was a sudden knock. I straightened up in my chair and looked over at the door. A tall man cleanly dressed with blonde hair stood by the doorway.

_It's him! What does he want?_

I stood up and started walking over to him though there was some resistance in my legs.

"Before you throw me out again," he began, giving me a timid smile as I approached. "I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I did not mean for anything that I said to be offensive."

_An apology?_

"Huh…" I responded, crossing my arms. I looked back at him but he didn't shy away. Instead, he continued to smile back.

"I'm sorry," he then apologized again and held out a white, fluffy teddy bear with a green and yellow bow tied around its neck. "Please forgive me?"

I don't know why, but my hand naturally reached over to touch the stuffed animal before taking it from his grasp. The fuzzy white fur was soft against the skin. And the shiny, smooth silk of the ribbon, brought a comforting feel as my fingers traced through it. I looked up at him, slightly taken aback. He was smiling _remarkably_ at me. I then looked back down at the bear that I had brought to my chest.

"So am I forgiven?" he asked, watching me play with the bear's ear.

One of the corners of my mouth curled up and I gave him a simple nod and replied, "Apology accepted."

I noticed how his shoulders immediately relaxed upon hearing those words from me. Then I looked up at him in front of me.

"You drove all this way…just to apologize?" I asked.

He nodded in response and slid his hands into his pockets.

"I didn't want your last thought of me to be getting kicked out of the door," he added. He looked around the room and then back at me. "You don't have classes today?"

"The last class for today ended an hour ago," I answered, turning around to go over to my desk again. I set the bear down and shuffled together the papers scattered over the table.

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?" I heard him ask as he took several steps forward.

I looked over at him with the stack of papers in my hands.

"I'm sorry, but are you attempting to ask me out in the least awkward manner possible?" I asked, facing him now.

"Not anymore now that you've said that," he frankly replied back.

_I knew it…_

"Sooo...would you like to grab a cup of coffee?" he then asked.

"No…not really," I answered nonchalantly and reached for my bag to place the papers in.

When I looked back at him, the man had a stunned expression with his smile barely hanging on the edge of his lips.

"Um…huh?"

He gave me an uncertain look.

_Was my answer that unclear?_

"Um…Did I say something wrong?" he continued.

I gave his question a serious thought for a moment before answering, "No…You asked if I would be willing to get some coffee with you and I responded with 'no'."

"I know that...but why not?" he asked back, his shoulders becoming stiff again.

"Because I don't want to?" I honestly answered, slightly puzzled by his inability to understand my response.

"Are you still mad?" he asked, running his hand through his blonde hair in a distressed manner.

"Didn't I just say that I forgive you?"

"Technically, you never said that. You implied it, but you never said it."

_What in the world-? I need to come up with a better answer. This just isn't getting through him!_

"I hardly know you, or…_remember_ you," I then added, hoping that this would be a more valid excuse.

"That's why you say 'yes'," he instantly inferred. He came up to the desk and swoop the bear into his hands again. "You come for a cup of coffee or tea or juice or whatever and we talk. We get to know each other," he explained, attempting to coax me to follow as his smile reappeared on his face once confidence resurfaced again. "Or in your case, remembering who I am," he added, holding the bear out to me.

_Why does he want me to remember him so badly? Why doesn't he just start over? Pretend that we never knew each other in the first place?_

I saw his face light up as I smiled back at him. My hand took the bear from his and I then said, "No, thank you," and took my bag as I made my way to the door.

_Maybe that was a little harsh…Nonsense! The guy wouldn't get it through that thick skull of his. What else was I suppose to say?_

"Hold on!" he called out suddenly appearing in front of me. "Just give me one chance!"

"One chance…" I repeated, watching him suspiciously.

_One chance…Ooo, I know what to do…_

A small yet pleased grin came over me.

"Alright, I'll give you one chance," I told him. But he didn't jump for joy as he noticed the 'but' in my tone. So I laid out the stipulations. "You have one chance to figure out what my favorite flower is and if you get it, I'll go out with you."

"That's it?" he asked back.

"What? Is that too easy for you?"

"No!...Nothing…I'm just making sure," he responded.

"Well then…Good luck…" I said and moved past him to continue down the hall.

_This'll be fun…_

xxx

[The next day…]

"So now we continue moving east on our map and we get to Transylvania."

I walked over to the left side of the chalkboard. "Transylvania actually belonged to multiple empires- Yes, Sai, you have a question?"

"Uh, yeah…Was Dracula a real person?"

The rest of the class giggled from his question. He himself was also smirking.

_Trying to be a wise ass, aren't we? Two can play this game…_

"Depends on which one you're talking about?" I casually responded.

He looked back at me, clueless as to what to ask back.

"You have Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia and you have Count Dracula. Vlad III or Vlad Tepes – the Impaler – was the prince of his province and a member of the _Order of the Dragon_, or the devil himself. He enjoyed various ways of punishment, such as skinning, boiling, decapitating, hanging, blinding, hacking, nailing, and live burials. But his _personal_ favorite was impalement on stakes. And next up, you have Count Dracula, Bram Stoker's most popular fictional creation. Dracula, a nobleman of Transylvania and a centuries-old vampire, intended to terrorize London. Unfortunately, he never got his chance as Abraham Van Helsing and Jonathan Harker foiled his plans and killed him. It wasn't _that_ hard to kill a vampire – put a stake through its heart, cut off its head and stuff it with garlic, burn the corpse and scatter the ashes…If you want I'm sure the library would be more than willing to lend you the actual novel." I dusted the chalk off my hands and took off my glasses. "So now, Mr. Sai…Which Dracula exactly _are_ you talking about?"

The boy stared back at me like he was about to wet himself. He had taken his feet off the table and sat up straight for the first time he came into the classroom with his hands neatly folded on his desk.

"It's-it's uh…It's okay. You answered the question perfectly, ma'am," he responded in a slightly more timid manner.

_And I was beginning to get all excited…_

"Okay, then…Anymore questions?" I looked among the students with no hands raised. "Now let's continue." I turned back to the map that was pulled down in front of the chalkboard. "So-"

"Oh my god! Professor, look!" one of the girls sitting by the windows called out.

The majority of the class suddenly jumped from their seats and crowded by the windows to peer out. I raised my eyebrows and walked forth. Standing on my tiptoes, I peered over several heads and looked out to see a throng of students at the bottom outside and that was when I saw the back of one person that stood out from the rest.

"What the hell-"

I pushed my students aside till I reached the front and flung the window open.

_What the hell is he doing?_

Ichijo stood at the bottom, leaning against a dump truck that had pulled up to the side of the building. He looked up at me, shielding his eyes from the sun and a huge smile was visible.

"What's going on?" I shouted down at him, blocking the sun from view.

He brought his hand down and then replied, "I believe I've won."

[Ichijo's POV]

I could see the shock that came over her, and I had to admit, that I enjoyed it. I always loved surprising her. I reached my hand up to the corner of the sheet that fell over the rim of the truck. Then, with a single jerk, I yanked the sheet off to unveil the back of the truck filled with fully bloomed red rose heads.

"Let 'em out!" I signaled to the driver.

The hatch released and the wave of roses spilled forth, instantly concealing the green grass. The students surrounding us practically squealed with awe upon the sight. I looked up at Yoka, leaning slightly out of the window.

"You love roses," I declared to her. I maneuvered closer to the building, trying not to step on one of the flowers. "So how about that date?"

She leaned down, resting her arms on the window pane and looked down at me with a small smile that I could barely recognize.

"Roses…A very reasonable guess…But I'm sorry to say that you couldn't be more wrong."

_What?_

I felt a sudden tightening of my throat.

_That's impossible! Roses…It had to be!_

"It was a good guess, Ichjo-san. But my favorite are pink Madonna lilies." And without another word, she closed the window and was gone.

"Alright, people, get to your classes," I heard the Chairman instruct, trying to disperse the crowd.

He walked up to my side with his arms crossed as he looked at the pile of roses and then at the window that Yoka had disappeared back into.

He then turned to me and said, "You do know that you're going to have to clean this up?"

"I know," I replied back to him, watching the window that was now closed shut. I could feel the corners of my mouth slide back down, forming a small flat line with my lips.

"Give her some time," my ears caught him say to me as he pushed his glasses up.

"I have…" I then turned to Chairman Cross. "I gave her six years of time. And look what's happened."

I looked back down at the blood-red flowers scattered on the ground and watched as one of them tumbled down from the pile as the wind gently blew by.

"Appeal to the senses."

I turned my head to look at Cross again.

_What did he just say?_

A pleased grin took place on his face as he looked back at me from the corner of his eyes.

"Think of a moment you two shared that really appealed to one of her senses. And do something with that."

_Senses?_ _What is he saying?_

I raised an eyebrow at the man, unable to understand how the suggestion would help. But all the Chairman did was to continue to grin back at me. He then uncrossed his arms, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"You were one of the brightest in your class," he then said. "You'll figure it out." And then with a pat on the shoulder, he turned around and started walking in the other direction towards his office building.

_What a bizarre human…_

xxx

[Yoka's POV]

"What the hell was that?" Alice nearly screamed as she swung the door open.

My back snapped up straight, startled by the sudden outburst. With complete disregard to the fact that class was still in session, my little sister marched straight up to the desk and slammed her hands onto it, causing my water to spill over the cup.

"The man literally showered you with roses just to ask you out on one single little date! And what did you do? You said 'no'! Why would you do that?"

I stood up from my chair.

"Class dismissed," I calmly stated, keeping my gaze fixed on her.

I could tell that she wanted to rip me in half if she could. I crossed my arms and cleared my throat as the last of my students exited the room.

"You said you'd think about it if I turned the paper in! Well, I turned in the _damn_ paper-"

"And I _did_ think about it," I cut her off.

"If you did, you would've said 'yes'. Any other girl in the world would've said 'yes'," she retorted.

"Well, I'm not like every other girl."

"Yeah, you have an icicle instead of a heart in your chest," she spat back at me.

Her remark was like a slap to the face, leaving me unable to respond for the moment.

_Why is Alice being so persistent in getting me and Ichijo together?_

"He was being an ostentatious _ass_ with all the roses!" I exclaimed, almost sounding like I was yelling at her.

"No, you're just being a stuck-up bitch because you're afraid of everything from the past!"

I couldn't even swallow once I heard that. The two of us stared back at each, remaining so quiet that we could hear each other's' racing heartbeats.

"I'm sorry," Alice finally said, breaking the silence.

She looked down at the table.

"That came out a bit too harsh."

She brought her hand up to her forearm.

"You don't remember him," she continued, "and I know that we've been through a _hell_ of a lot in our pasts. But he was actually the part of it that made you happy…"

xxx

I could see the moon shining brightly overhead. The sky was clear from clouds and fog. There were no birds but only the stars that shined brightly from afar. I exhaled and looked back down at the solid earth that I was standing on. The campus was empty and dark with only the light poles there to light the way. My hand came up to the wall beside me, feeling the rough concrete as I walked along the side of the building. I then spotted an object on the grass and bent down to pick it up. The bright red color of the rose appeared as the light consumed the shadows that cloaked it. I looked up at the building and saw the window to my classroom. Then I turned my sight back to the flower in my hands.

_How did he know…?_

xxx

[Ichijo's POV]

I sat back against the bench with my hands holding a cup of coffee in my lap. My eyes fell onto the children playing by the small playground and then at the people lined along the different shops surrounding the area. Then I saw the florist with his cart of flowers roll by and stop as an older couple came over to admire the assortment. There was a stash of roses yet to bloom displayed on his cart.

"It _is_ roses. I'm so sure of it," I thought to myself.

I then turned my attention to the ringing of a familiar bell. That was when I noticed the old man pushing his ice cream cart across from where the florist was.

_Wow…He's still alive…_

I got up and tossed my coffee into the garbage and approached the old fellow.

"Well, good morning young man," he greeted.

I smiled earnestly back and responded, "Good morning to you too, sir. I'm surprised to see you here. I haven't come to town in a long time."

"Where else would I be?" he said, his white mustache twitching as he smiled back

He took his glasses from his shirt pocket and put them on, observing me more closely.

"Oh, I remember you!" he then said with much excitement. "You were that boy from the school close by."

"Yes, I am," I said, chuckling to myself a bit.

"Could never forget a smile like that," he added, readjusting his glasses. "Good god…You don't seem to have changed a bit!"

I looked down at the cobble-stoned ground, feeling slightly flattered but not all too much, considering that aging had greatly slowed down for me.

"Thank you," was all that I could respond back.

"And if my memory does not mistake me, I believe last time you had a young lady with you?"

"Yes, I did," I said in a softer voice, my smile beginning to level out.

"She was quite a miss."

"Yes…She was…"

"Are you two still together?" he then asked.

I gave him a sad smile and then answered, "No…Not anymore…"

"Oh," he said, realizing the unpleasant feeling that he had brought up. "Well, I hope that both of you have been able to overcome such an obstacle."

I couldn't say anything more as my mind had left the conversation and began rethinking about what had happened yesterday. He then reached over into his cart and took out an ice cream.

"Here, have an ice cream," he said with a sincere smile.

I reached into my coat pocket, ready to take out my wallet.

"No, no. This one's on me," he quickly added, gesturing for me to put away the money.

"Thank you," I said, reaching for the frozen delicacy.

"You're very welcome," he replied, sliding the lid of the cart closed. "Ice cream is the cure for all."

_Is it?_

I took a bite, savoring the great taste that traveled through my taste buds.

"It still tastes just as great as before," I told him.

He smiled back and nodded and said, "Ice cream is one of the most nostalgic of delicacies."

I then looked down at the ice cream in my hand upon hearing his words

"Appeal to the senses…"

[Yoka's POV]

I erased the last markings of chalk on the board and set the eraser down. The stiffness in my back was especially noticeable once I bent down to pick up the small stub of chalk on the floor. I turned to the doorway when I heard a knock and saw Ichijo standing there.

"Ichijo-san?"

"Hi," he said, catching his breath. He placed one hand on the rim of the door, supporting his body.

_I thought I already saw the last of him yesterday…_

After taking several breaths, he came into the room.

"Why are you panting?" I asked, completely puzzled by his present state.

"I had to run," he said, taking another breath.

"Why?"

"So that it wouldn't melt by the time I got to you," he replied, bringing out the cup of ice cream that he had held behind his back.

I looked at the perfect swirl of the dessert that was in his hand and then back at him.

_I…I don't know what to think…_

"I…"

_What do I say?_

After one last breath, he straightened up and then said to me, "This is the ice cream from the old man at the park in town. You said it was the best ice cream in the world when I took you."

I moved closer to him and reached for the ice cream, our fingers touching one another. I took the small spoon and placed it in my mouth, and I couldn't believe what happened. There was just something about the taste that made my heart suddenly melt. I saw him smile a little when he saw the reaction on my face. I took the spoon out of my mouth and looked down at the ice cream as I could feel my cheeks begin to blush for some odd reason.

"It is…really good," I then said, with a shy smile.

He was about to say something but then paused for a moment, as if he was uncertain as to whether or not he should continue.

But then he opened his mouth once again and said, "Hopefully, you'll remember that day. But other than ice cream, I know for a fact that you love roses. I swear my life on it."

"Yeah," I then said, "…that kinda scared me at first when you knew."

My fingers felt the cold water as it condensed on the side of the cup. I bit the corner of my mouth and then finally looked up at him.

"So where are we gonna' go?"

Once I said that, I saw that he was giving me that same smile that he had on when I first saw him in front of my classroom door two weeks ago…that amazing smile that no one else could replicate.

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**Phew...Finally got this chapter out of the way. Hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading :)**


	10. First Date, Again?

**I don't own VK**

******God, I haven't typed those words in so long ;P**  


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[Alice's POV]

I brought my feet up onto the couch and reached for another pretzel. My entire body suddenly jumped when Yoka burst inside from the front door.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my GOD!" she pattered to herself, tossing her purse and keys next to me on the couch as she rushed into the bedroom.

I blinked several times in her direction, giving myself a moment to regain my train of thought and recover from the sudden startle. I then turned to look at the clock on the wall.

"You have eleven minutes," I called out to her.

"I KNOW!"

I could hear her rummaging through the closet and yanking out all the drawers.

_I knew this was gonna' happen…_I looked back down at my magazine before calling back out to her, "I already picked out an outfit for you. It's on your bed."

Not long, all the scrambling ceased, and a moment later, Yoka walked out into the living room.

"Seriously?" she said, "This is what I'm wearing?" A smile spread over my face as I looked at the black dress that outlined her figure flawlessly. "Isn't this a little too…formal?" she asked, holding onto the side of the dress to keep it from touching the floor.

"What're you saying? It's perfect!"

Her lips puckered together as she thought for a moment before she finally complied and replied, "Fine…" She then turned to look at the clock on the wall and rushed back into the room. I reached for another pretzel and turned the page of the magazine.

"So what kept ya so late?" I asked, turning the page again.

"I was grading papers," she shouted back from the bathroom. There was a flush and then a momentary pause before she walked back out, sticking one more pin in her hair to keep her bun in place. "And I lost track of time," she finished. "Now I know why teachers use to complain about grading papers." She came over to where I was sitting and reached for her purse. She took out some papers. "Here," she said, handing them to me. "You got an 'A'."

I took it, surprised and looked down at the essay that I had written. Then I mentioned, "But it was late."

"Yes…" she responded nonchalantly.

"So shouldn't there be a penalty?" I also put in.

"That's also true," she replied once again in a casual voice. "But it was well written. You presented your thesis clearly and supported it with facts from credible sources, which was all that I asked for…. And you also need the 'A'," she quickly added that last part.

"Wait a sec!" I brought both my legs under me to help me sit up straight. "You're actually helping me cheat…in your own class?" I asked with a disbelieving grin.

"Okay, first of all," she began, holding a finger out at me, "It's not called 'cheating'. I didn't assist you on completing the assignment in any way so that you had an unfair advantage than the other students." She then held up a second finger and proceeded, "Secondly, you _need_ the 'A'. I don't want to see you in history class _again_ next semester."

All I could do was just shake my head in amusement and quietly laugh to myself. "Please, Yoka…You know you just love me too much!...You should've told me beforehand that you'd help me cheat though. Then I wouldn't have stayed up all night trying to write in complete sentences…" I got up from the couch and walked over to the glass door that led out to the balcony. I slid the door open and poked my head out to see below. "He's here…" I turned around to wish her luck and goodbye but all I caught sight of was the front door slamming shut. I smiled to myself and looked back down the edge. I could see Ichijo-san standing by his car, dressed in a black suit with what I made out to be a green tie from where I was observing on the third floor. Then I saw a small young lady nearly stumble her way out to the building entrance, and sure enough, that was Yoka. I felt my smile spread even wider as I watched him rush over to her side to help her. He held out his hand nervously to her and…she took it! _Yes! This is how it should be! _He then helped her into his car, and I thought to myself, "Will she remember him after tonight?" The car the slowly drove out of sight. _I don't know how things will go, but I hope she does…_

xxx

[Third person POV]

He stopped the car and turned off the engine. Yoka peered through the tinted window, finding them parked at the front steps of a manor.

"Ichijo," she began, "I don't think this is a restaurant." She then turned around to him. "Isn't this private property?"

He grinned to himself and responded, "Yes, you're right. This _is_ private property." He then opened the door and stepped out of the car to make his way to where she was on the other side. Then he added once he opened her door, "It's _my_ property. " A smile came upon his lips as he held out his hand to her and addressed, "Welcome to the Ichijo estate."

Yoka glanced back and forth from him to the house , surprised by the unexpected home visit. She eventually took hold of his hand and stepped out of the vehicle. The instant both her feet touched the asphalt ground, she let go of his hand. Ichijo's smiled faltered once the warmth of her touch vanished, but he quickly locked the corners of his lips back in place when she turned to him.

"How come you didn't mention we were coming to your place?" she asked.

"I remembered that you enjoyed surprises….as long as they didn't involve sneaking up on you from behind," he merrily replied back. Yoka looked back at him unusually, surprised by what he knew about her and curious of just _how_ much he knew. "Come on," he then motioned to her, "We'll go around back to eat first. Your stomach has been growling the entire trip here." He felt a sudden warmth spread through his chest when he saw Yoka's cheeks glow red from embarrassment. It was like they were back in school when he would always flatter her and she'd blush uncontrollably. Without another moments waste, he then led her past the front and around to the back. She looked around her, awestruck by the manor that towered over them.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, her eyes bouncing from concrete to concrete and observing even the tiniest of cracks on the tiles. "The English design…it's amazing, ancient but so well preserved," she continued, fascinated by the history that the outside walls portrayed.

He didn't say anything but remained quiet, admiring her just as she admired the manor. She spoke of how beautifully the house was built, and to him, she was the same. Ichijo had never met another woman remotely like her. There was something about Yoka that made her vibrant while everything else remained black and white. And even after these years, her personality and her zeal remained unchanged. But could he say the same of the forgotten passion she once had for him?

The two of them eventually made it around to the back of the mansion, where a lightly-lit patio awaited. Ichijo held out his hand to her again once they reached the steps up the patio, and again she naturally released her hold onto his after the final step. The area was illuminated by lanterns and light posts. Yoka looked at the meticulously arranged bouquet of flowers at each corner of the platform and the statues and sculptures also present. She looked up from the plants and her eyes caught sight of the enormous wooden doors that led to the inside of the house. She ran her fingers over the unique carvings etched into the wood. The exotic design crossed her mind as closely resembling bloomed roses. When she looked up to inquire Ichijo about the wooden artwork, she saw him standing by a set table for two holding out a chair for her.

He smiled when she caught his eyes and he kindly said, "Dinner is ready whenever you are."

[Yoka's POV]

I was quite taken aback by how this evening was turning out. Everything just felt so…_personal_ – the way we were dressed, the location of dinning, how amazingly delicious the food was, our conversations, and _him_! _I don't understand…Why is he trying so hard? What is he trying to get at?_

I set down my fork after finishing the cake for dessert and gently wiped my mouth with the dinner napkin.

"Thank you for dinner," I said to him sincerely.

"It was my pleasure," he replied with the smile that never faded once throughout the night. He stood up from his seat and then asked, "Would you like to see the inside of the house?"

"I'd love to."

We walked up to the two doors leading inside. As tall as he was, Ichijo still appeared small compared to the doorway. Yet, surprisingly, he opened the door with minimal effort. _He's a vampire, Yoka. They have like "super powers", remember?_ _Obviously that would include super strength..._

"After you," he said, motioning for me to enter.

I held on to the side of my dress, lifting it up just a little so it barely touched the ground as I stepped inside. Without warning, my fingers suddenly lost their grasp. I stood motionless, staring in front of me with only a single word escaping my lips, "Wow."

The fresh scent of oak from the floor lingered in the atmosphere, making every breath I took refreshing and pure. Ichijo stood several feet in front of me with his hands in his pockets, smiling at me as I dawdled down the hall like a five-year-old in a candy store. It was amazing to see how the English style of house's exterior was also brilliantly displayed inside by the designs of the walls and ceilings as well as the many handmade furniture. I was mesmerized by never-before-seen antiques and historical paintings that hung along the walls. _It's…wow…I've never seen these pieces before, not in museums, books…not even on the internet! _He walked up next to me after I had stopped to scrutinize the last work at the end of the hall – a painting.

"Do you recognize this one?" he asked, intrigued.

"Wars of the Roses, mid to late 1400s," I responded.

He grinned to himself and gave a small nod. _You forgot I'm a history teacher. _I then turned to him, adding, "But specifically which battle…I'm not too sure. I've…never seen this work before."

"It's the Battle of Wakefield. The only one of its kind," he said in a reminiscing tone, "Grandfather should've painted more."

I looked over at him as he brushed his fingers along its frame, wiping away any dust that may have been on it. "Your…_grandfather_ painted this?"

"And several others around the house. He enjoyed painting what he saw. It was a hobby of his," he casually responded.

"Wait, hold on…_Your_ grandfather painted what he _saw_…He was _there_…at the Battle of Wakefield?"

"Yes," he answered, finding my shock slightly amusing. "Did you forget about the age difference between humans and vampires?"

"No, I remember," I replied, turning to face the painting again. "It's not the time that took me by surprise. It's the location."

"Grandfather lived in England for quite some time before he came here," he then responded as the two of us entered a study room.

"I guess that explains the blonde hair," I put in with a grin. He smirked from my comment, brushing his golden locks back.

I glanced around the room that we had just come in. There was a large desk handcrafted with an intricate and elegant design. There were two armchairs and a small round table centered in front of the fireplace. We walked over to the fire that was already ablaze. Above it, there was a tall painting hung centered in place, a portrait of just the upper-half of a man with glowing blonde hair and a lightly shaded set of eyes. _Hey…He kinda' looks like-_

"Asato Ichijo," I heard his voice say.

I turned to see Ichijo standing right next to me.

"He was known by most as Ichio."

"Is he your grandfather?" I asked.

He nodded and said, "He was head of the vampire council. This use to be his study quarters. He spent most of his days in this room, dealing with council issues."

"Are you two close?"

"We…were."

"Were?" I looked over at him curiously,

"He's _dead_," he replied, turning his back to the portrait. "Come on," he then added, changing the subject, "There's something I want to show you."

I went with him and we exited the room. _Did you notice the disdain in his breath when he said his grandfather passed away? It wasn't indifference…It was pure contempt. Just a moment ago he was fine, talking about his gramps and his paintings. If they use to be close, how did their relationship end up like this? I wonder what happened between the two of them…_We arrived at a room with its doors closed.

Ichijo reached for the handles of the doors and turned to me and said, "Ready?"

The moment I nodded, he pushed forward. A soothing light quickly filled our sights, revealing one of the largest libraries I had ever seen. Bookshelves stretched along the walls from one end of the room to the other with almost every inch of the walls filled with books. I walked over to the collection on my left. Just observing the binding and style of text, I could tell that these weren't your everyday type of readings. _These were old!_ The amount of history that encompassed this room was breath-taking. To imagine the history that existed on the entire estate was unfeasible.

"Do you like it?" he asked me.

"Like it? I _love _it!" I answered, turning from side to side to try and glance at every title possible.

It didn't take long for me to gradually tune everything out. _Accidentally though…_In a moments passing, I found myself still actively looking over every book on the shelves. I turned around and I saw Ichijo leaning against the couch at the other side of the room. He wasn't staring down at me, neither did he appear offended by my sudden shift of attention. _I guess he didn't want to disturb me. _He was just quietly _waiting_ for me with such patience hardly seen in people and with a smile that sent my stomach blooming with butterflies.

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me to just run off like that," I apologized, walking towards him. "It's just that when it comes to books…I fall into my own little world."

"Don't apologize," he then said once I was in front of him, "I think it's great. It's what I loved about you."

I felt a sudden stir inside when I heard him say that. _It's what he "loved" about me? Um…what?_ I must have had a puzzled expression for he then asked, "Are you okay?"

_Not really. I'm so confused about…YOU! _I gave an uncertain smile and nodded.

"Something's on your mind," he said, obviously not fooled. "What is it?"

"I'm just…" I paused for a moment. _Whoa…I was actually about to tell him what it was that was bothering me! How did I become so naturally honest with "him"? _He was still watching me, waiting for me to finish. "…confused," I finally said. "Everything we've talked about this entire evening…during dinner, just a moment ago…I feel like you want me to remember something, and…and I just don't know what it is. I mean…I _forgot_ quite a bit." I looked down and unknowingly saw my hands fiddling with each other. _Why am I getting so nervous all of a sudden? Just ask! _I then looked up at him and asked_, _"Ichijo…_Who_ are you to me?" He wasn't looking straight at me. _I guess I'm not the only one that's nervous now._ I could sense the uneasiness in his movements as he shifted a bit, setting his hands on the couch, but he was still smiling.

"How'd you find out about the night class?" he abruptly asked.

_Huh…?_

"Um…excuse me?" I asked back.

"How did you find out that the night class was all vampires?" he clarified.

_Oh, that's a simple question._

"Well, Yo-" I unexpectedly stopped. I crossed my arms together and gazed off to the side, wondering. _How DID I know? I feel like it was…BOOM and I knew! But…that doesn't make sense. And when I try to think harder, my mind just goes blank. Something's missing..._He watched me, waiting for my answer. But I didn't have one.

"I…don't know," I told him in such a quiet voice that I almost sounded scared.

"You found out because of me," he responded with his head slightly tilted to the side.

_Really? He was the one that told me? How?_

"So…_you _told me?"

"Not really," he replied, "You walked in on Senri and I one day while he was taking a nip of me."

"At the Moon Dorms?"

"Yup."

"What was I doing there?" _I don't remember any of this!_

"You were looking for me," he said.

"Looking for you?...We knew each other before then?"

"Correct again. We were very good friends." He then looked at me for a bit and asked, "Is any of this ringing a bell?"

I felt there was a sense of disappointment in him when I shook my head. I_chijo…He knows things that I don't remember. I want to know what they are and yet…I don't. _

He gave a light shrug, trying to hide away the disappointment_. _

"Well, we're not in a rush. It takes time to remember things," he then said in a warming voice.

"You mean…our friendship?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied, "And…maybe a bit more."

_More?_ I was inclined to ask him what he meant, but then chose not to. _I don't want to know…At least, not now. This is more than enough remembering for me in an evening. _

xxx

[Third person POV]

"What happened? Details!" Alice shouted with excitement the moment Yoka stepped inside the room.

Yoka gave her a soft smile and then said, "We had fun. He's a sweet guy." She walked to where her room was and turned to Alice. "I'm kind of tired. I'll see you in the morning." Then she went inside and closed the door behind her.

Alice stared at the closed door in front of her for a moment, wondering to herself, "I don't get her sometimes…"We had fun. He's a sweet guy" ? Was she being sarcastic…or sincere?" Seeing that Yoka had really called it quits for the night, Alice also decided to leave the matter alone. She returned to her bedroom and sat on her bed, pushing her math textbook away. _It's strange how of all her memories, Yoka just can't remember Ichijo-san. Is it possible that those memories of him are lost for a reason? Maybe Yoka wanted to forget…_

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**Thanks for reading. I'll try and update soon :]**_  
_


	11. Boyfriend and Girlfriend

**I'm so glad to see that I still have people reading this, so...BOOM - next chapter!**

**I do not own VK.**

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"Oh-my _God_…"

Rima circled around Takuma with her hands over her mouth as she restrained herself from breaking into a laughing hysteria.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Takuma said getting more distressed every second. He couldn't stop fidgeting his legs and fiddling his fingers. Rima kept quiet and continued to stare at him, her face burning red with a huge grimace hidden behind her hands. "I knew I should've just left when I didn't see Katerina."

"What…happened?" Rima managed to ask in a more settled manner not accompanied by any snickering of sorts.

"Katerina took the day off, so the receptionist recommended me to Kiki. I had a bad feeling the moment I saw him!" he explained.

"Wait, Kiki's a _guy_?" she broke in.

"Yes. He's not a very attractive one either," he added.

Rima shook her head, quietly chuckling to herself at the thought. Once she pulled herself together she looked back up at him and then said, crossing her arms, "What did I tell you about switching stylists?"

"Always stick to one," he answered quietly, scratching behind his ear.

"That's right, and don't you forget it!" She brought her hand up to his hair and brushed her fingers against it as she tilted her head at different angles.

"Can you fix it?"

"There's really nothing to fix," she replied, running her fingers through his hair, carefully examining every strand. "I mean, it's _different_..."

"Good different or bad?" he asked nervously.

"Well…it's _short_…_a lot_ shorter in certain areas. You actually look like a whole new person," Rima honestly answered.

Takuma stood up from his chair and walked over to the mirror behind Rima. He flicked his hair that fell to his eyes and ran his fingers over his head. It was the first time he felt his hair prick his skin, something he definitely needed to get used to.

"Do you think she'll like it?" he asked, turning to her.

Rima smiled and earnestly responded, "I think she will. I'm _loving_ it already." She saw him take a breath of relief and his smile began to resurface. She brought one of her hands up to her arm and then said in a completely opposite tone, "Takuma…" Their eyes met. "I _am _sorry…for lying to you about her."

Without any hesitation, he smiled back at her with the same cheerfulness he always had. He placed his hands on her small shoulders and brought her into his embrace.

"It's okay," he responded, "You were just being a good friend, and I never thanked you for that." He released her and then said, his radiant green eyes looking into hers, "Rima, thank you."

xxx

[Several hours ago, earlier in the morning…]

Yoka took the stack of papers from the copy machine and headed out of the teachers' workroom. The hall was bustling with students, some of them waving to her as she strolled down the path to her office. She noticed the door to her room to be opened as she gradually approached.

"Rima," Yoka said, surprised once she got to the doorway. Rima spun around in her chair by her desk several times before getting up.

"No class today?" Rima asked, picking up one of the cups of coffee she brought.

"Not till two," she replied, taking the other cup that Rima handed to her as she came over. She set the copied papers on her table and then said, "Well this is an abnormal visit. You usually come on the weekends."

"I had time, and I hadn't seen you in a while," Rima replied, taking a sip.

"We saw each other last week," Yoka put in.

"What? Am I only allowed to see you once every so often?"

Yoka smirked to herself and set her cup down. "You can see me whenever you want."

"Except when you spend an evening with Takuma," Rima added with an amused grin.

"How'd you know about that?" she immediately questioned, almost falling over her chair.

"Come on, Yoka. Takuma's like my brother, remember?"

"Actually, no…I don't…remember," Yoka said in a softer voice. She tucked her bangs behind her ear and looked up to see Rima gazing off to the side, regretting a bit for what she said.

"You still don't remember him," Rima was finally able to say.

Yoka reached for her coffee. The warmth against her skin seemed to bring some comfort, and she began to think of something that crossed her mind.

"Sorry for asking then," Rima apologized, smoothing out the wrinkles on her dress.

"Can I ask you something?" Yoka suddenly said to her as if the conversation from before never happened.

"What is it?"

"How did you and I meet?"

Rima choked on her coffee. She quickly set her cup down and brought her hand over her mouth as she gagged.

"Are you alright?" Yoka inquired, concerned.

She nodded, coughing several times. She wiped her mouth with a tissue and then took a deep breath. "Are you…serious?" was what came out of Rima's mouth first.

"Well…" Yoka sat up straight in her chair, her hands holding on to one another anxiously. "Ichijo asked some things about my past – just small things – and when I tried to think of the answer my mind kinda just went blank. Then when you asked, I started thinking about how we met and…_nothing_." Yoka recognized the unexpectedness that overcame Rima. She didn't know how to respond to her friend. "I remember Yuki; I roomed with her. And the others you and Yuki introduced to me. But you…The last thing I remember is sitting in bed several days after my accident and you sitting in a chair next to me, asking if I remember anything."

"Do you remember what I said to you when you first saw me?" Rima asked.

Yoka thought for a moment and then answered, "You said your name was Rima and you were a friend of Yuki's." She noticed her smile a bit when she heard her say that.

Rima then told her, "That day _was_ the first time we met, well…officially that is. Yuki called and told me what happened, and I came to help her look after you for a little."

"So you helped me even when you didn't know who I was?"

"Of course I knew who you were," Rima responded, "You were _human_, and you were Takuma's _girlfriend_. Who could ever forget something like that?" Rima's grin suddenly faded when she saw Yoka staring at her intently. She felt an uneasiness crawl up her spine when she realized that she probably said something she wasn't suppose to. "Um…Did I say something-"

"No," Yoka cut her off, still appearing a bit distracted_._

"Takuma did tell you about you and him, right?" Rima asked to clarify.

"Of course," she answered with a slight delay. "I just…thought of something. That's all."

Rima eyed her for a moment and then continued, "Anyways, I guess you can say that you and I met through him."

"I see…"

"I hope that answers your question," she responded.

Yoka gave her a smile and nodded. "It does. Thanks, Rima." She brought her cup to her mouth and took one last sip of coffee.

xxx

The students turned their heads to Rima as she walked past them. She was like a fairy, entrancing those around her as she glided down the hall. She smiled to herself inside but maintained a stoic appearance. High school had brought back some amusing memories for her. Her phone suddenly rang once she reached her car.

"Hello?"

"Rima!"

"Hey, Takuma…Is everything alright?" she asked, sensing the urgency in his voice.

"I need to see you NOW!"

xxx

[Present time…]

"So you went to see Yoka earlier today?" Takuma asked, setting his cup of tea down.

"Yup," Rima responded, adding some milk to her second coffee of the morning.

The two of them had relocated to a café down the street once Takuma had finally embraced his new hairstyle.

"How did your date go?" she in turn asked.

"It was…interesting," he replied with a smile.

She then counted to herself, "One, two, th-"

"Okay! It wasn't as _nostalgic_ as I thought it would be," he corrected with quite a bit of intensity. "She remembers _nothing_ about me! Anything connected to _me_ she doesn't know!"

"I guess Yuki did a real good job of erasing her memories. How'd she react when you told her you're her long lost boyfriend?" She crossed her legs elegantly and sat back in her chair.

"I uh…I didn't," was his reply.

She uncrossed her legs and sat forward. "What do you mean you didn't? So what'd you tell her?"

"I said we were really good friends," he answered. "Saying that I'm her boyfriend isn't going to help. It may be too much for her to handle…Besides, she'll start asking questions and then we'll have to get into the whole matter about Sara. _That _itself is a mess."

"I think you're in a mess already," Rima told him. "Takuma…We got a problem…"

He looked up at her from his tea, waiting for her to continue.

"I kind of already told her that you and her were…", she trailed off, tapping her two index fingers together.

"You WHAT?" he shouted, setting his cup down on the table rather than flinging it over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry!" she quickly responded, "We were just talking this morning and I just mentioned it. I thought you told her!"

"Oh, this is not good…" he muttered to himself as he sat back in his chair with his hands over his face.

"That explains the funny expression she had when I told her," she thought to herself. She looked back up at Takuma and sincerely apologized again, "I'm sorry."

"It's…It's okay," he said, wiping his hand over his face. He then gave her an earnest smile and said, "You didn't know." Thinking for a moment, he asked, "Did she say anything when you told her?"

"She gave me a _look_, and when I asked, she said that you told her already." Rima raised an eyebrow and continued, "…which you said you didn't." Her eyes grew big. "She was just playing along to get me to talk!...Oh, she's good!"

"She was always good at playing along," he said to himself almost wanting to smile from the thought.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," he replied, sitting up straight again.

"Maybe…" Rima began. "…Maybe all that's happened is a sign."

"A sign for what?"

"That it's time to just tell the truth," she simply answered.

"You mean everything…?" Takuma wondered to himself, "…How I was part of the destruction of Cross Academy…and why I never returned?"

_It seems that sometimes…not knowing the truth is better than having to endure the consequences of it._

xxx

[Yoka's POV]

I turned and looked up at the analog clock on the wall. _Nine o'clock. Looks like I'm working overtime again. Cross definitely needs to give me a raise._ I stored the papers in a manila folder and placed it in my beige tote bag. Then I locked the door to the classroom, testing the doorknob again just to make sure. The sky was black but the bright light from the moon still seeped through the windows of the hallway. Nearing the entrance of the campus before coming to the gates, I stopped and turned to look at the fountain in the small open grass area where many students enjoyed mingling. My eyes gently closed as the peaceful rhythm of the running water filled my ears.

"Are you paying tribute?"

My eyes instantly opened and my entire body gave a quick jump when I heard the sudden voice. But I didn't need to see his face to already know who it was. I looked to my left and saw Ichijo, also standing in the outside corridor several pillars ahead of me. _What the hell is he doing here? Scared the hell out of me!_

Seeing my confusion in his question, he then explained, "This fountain was built in commemoration of the first peace agreement between the vampire council and the hunters."

"What're you doing here?" I quickly asked, clutching tightly on to the shoulder strap of my bag.

"I called earlier and Alice picked up. She told me you were still at school….And I decided to drop by."

He gradually strolled towards me, taking one of his hands out of his pockets to rub the back of his neck. It was then that I noticed his change in appearance. _Oh, wow…What happened to his hair?_

"You got a haircut," I said out loud. _Why did I speak first? He's the one that owes me an explanation!_

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice," he replied with a shy smile. "It was actually more of an accident."

I was ready to compliment his new look when I abruptly held my tongue and stopped. _Don't do it! He may look even cuter now but don't forget that he lied!_ _It's childish and naive, what I'm doing…But he started it!_ I remained quiet, keeping my eye on him. He stood not a meter away from me. "So did you _drop by_ just to share some human-vampire trivia?" I asked with a tinge of annoyance.

"No," he answered laconically, looking away from my glare. He could sense my displeasure towards him, and he knew exactly why. "Truth is," he started, "I'm here because I wanted to see you."

My heart jumped and I felt a certain wave of warmth suddenly cloak over me. _The words that escaped his lips...They sounded so sweet, so sincere…and so familiar._ He was looking at the fountain in a particular way, like he was reminiscing over some memory.

"Were you here when…" I began, curious as to what it was he was remembering that I didn't even finish my question.

He stood in front of the fountain and turned to look at me. Seeing that I was at a loss of words, he naturally answered, "No, I wasn't here when this was built. I came later with Kaname." His green eyes glowed cyan with the water reflecting from them. "But I was here…for something far more amazing than any historical tribute," he continued.

_What is he talking about?_

"Six years ago," he said, his words drawing me closer to him every second, "At this very spot...I held onto you, thinking in my mind how beautiful you were and how you'd react if you knew the truth about what I was. But then…you brought your hand up to my face…and kissed me."

His eyes gazed deep into mine, seeing right into my soul. My hands clutched even tighter onto the shoulder strap of my bag. I felt my breathing shake as I took in a breath of air. _How do I know if he's telling the truth? Rima said that he was my boyfriend. Does that mean I'm suppose to just believe anything he says? I never allowed people to see beyond what I wanted them to, even now. How much of 'me' did I actually let him see?_

"You don't…believe me, do you?" he said softly with such a sad look.

I couldn't look him in the eye anymore. "I have to go," I responded, immediately turning around. I was walking even faster down the corridor, almost breaking into a run. My legs stopped running once I reached the first light post outside of school grounds. I bent forward a bit with one of my hands on my knees to catch my breath. Taking another breath, I hitched my shoulder strap up higher and stood up straight again.

"You shouldn't be out by yourself at this time."

"Good god!" I screamed, losing my footing.

I braced myself for a hard landing of cement against my skin. But instead, I felt a warm, almost comforting feel around my shoulders and holding on to my hand. When I opened my eyes, Ichijo looked back at me with such concern that only someone that sincerely cared would have.

"Are you okay?" he asked, still holding on to me.

"Are you following me now?" I responded, my voice faltering a bit.

"We need to talk," he replied.

I took my hand away from his and got up on my own, refusing his help. "I think you've said enough tonight," I said and moved passed him.

"Wait," he called to me, taking hold of my arm.

My arm gave a natural jerk but wasn't strong enough to break his clasp. _Old habits die hard…_When he noticed that it was my right arm that he was clutching, he instantly released his grasp, retracting his hand away.

_He saw my arm and he just…let go. Does he…does he know?_

"I'm…I'm sorry," he expressed with great regret. "I forgot about…" he stopped in midsentence, not knowing what else to say.

"About what?"I asked him.

He stood there uncertain of whether or not he should answer. But I wanted him to. I wanted to know if it was even remotely possible that I had told him, of all people.

"About _what_?" I repeated, louder.

"About you, Alice…and your stepfather," he finally answered.

The energy in my arms vanished, and my bag dropped to the ground. I couldn't speak. I couldn't hear anything. I could hardly feel myself even breathing. _He knows…!_

xxx

I watched Alice as she lay in her bed with the covers over her, sleeping peacefully. I smiled and gently shut her door. My bedroom was dark, illuminated solely by the moon outside my window. I rested my back against my door and slowly slid down to the floor. _He knew…_I looked down at my right arm and pulled my sleeve up to my elbow. A tickling sensation travelled through my nerves as my fingers brushed against the smooth skin of the underside of my arm. I looked at the slightly redder spots on my skin that were barely visible but still retained their marks. _It's amazing how much of the scarring has disappeared over these last few years. _I then brought my left arm around my stomach with my hand firmly holding on to my right side, beneath my ribs and above my hips. _Too bad not all the wounds healed that well. _

_Tonight, when I saw Ichijo, I was upset. Then, when he told me of the time we had our first kiss, I was confused. I didn't want to hear any more of what he was saying. How could I be sure he was being honest and telling the truth? But then I found out how much of me he had already seen. Six years ago I tore down the very walls that I spent almost all my life building. And that was when he saw…the vulnerable girl that I was. _

_Ichijo, you say you and I were more than friends…and you know my greatest weakness. Whatever else you have to tell me…you have my attention…I'm listening now…_

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**Hope you enjoyed this chapter :]**

**And for those worried about me blowing off this story, don't** **worry ;)**


	12. First Day of Class

**Definitely not one of my better chapters, but here it is. Enjoy :)**

**I don't own VK.**

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[Yoka's POV]

The door to the classroom opened and sixth period slowly strolled in. I put my glasses on and stood up from behind my desk.

"Good morning," I greeted, turning to face the chalkboard as the seats behind me gradually filled. I reached for the stub of chalk and began writing. "Today we're going to conclude our discussion on the Roman Empire and look into one of the largest civilizations known to mankind on the eastern hemisphere. The people were ruled by emperors of multiple dynasties and developed their own system of communication and acts of religion." I turned around and then asked, "Does anyone want to take a guess as to which civilization I'm referring to?" No one made a sound.

_Maybe I was too vague...It's funny how there's always that one stereotypical nerd in every class, yet I don't have a single one._

Seeing that no student was going to answer, I turned to the board again.

"China," a familiar voice spoke out among the silence. I turned to the door where the answer came from. The piece of chalk slipped through my fingers and onto the ground as I stared at the young man waiting by the entrance. Whispers flowed from one end of the classroom to the other. I could even hear the bottom of chairs scrape against the wooden floor. Ichijo stood there, looking back at me, dressed in the same uniform as any other male student at this school. He wore a remarkable smile that made his entire appearance radiate as he straightened up from leaning against the frame of the doorway. Without another moment's waste, he uncrossed his arms and then said to me, "Good morning, professor. My apologies for being late." He gave a courteous bow before continuing, "My name is Takuma Ichijo. I'm a new student."

xxx

[Third person POV...several days earlier...]

"You've been _visiting_ us quite often lately, Ichijo," Chairman Cross mentioned, leaning back into his armchair. Takuma took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"I'm sorry for the disruptions," he apologized, crossing his legs.

"Nonsense," Cross replied, reaching for his mug. "Alumni are always welcome." Takuma smiled from his comment.

"You mean _drop-ou_t," he corrected. "I never graduated, remember?"

"Of course I do," he responded. "You weren't the only one though. _None_ in the Night Class graduated." He brought his mug to his mouth for a sip.

"Then you'd understand my reasons for enrolling into your school," Ichijo stated. The chairman choked on his water. He set his cup down on the coaster.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I've already filled out the paper work," Takuma responded. He reached into his leather bag and took out a manila folder and placed it on his desk in front of him. Cross flipped it open, seeing all the documents completed and neatly paper-clipped together. "I believe your new policy requires an in-person interview," he added. Cross looked up at him, still in shock. Takuma placed his hands carefully in his lap and calmly said, "Ask away."

"Ichijo," the chairman began with an uncertain laugh. "You can't be serious." He was still trying to get his mind around everything. "Why would you want to come back?"

"I want to finish high school," he quickly answered.

"It's not like you need to. Even without graduating, you're already running half of Japan's market! And you're only at the _start_ of your life. There's absolutely no reason for you to come back."

"That may be very well true, however, my return isn't just for me," Takuma vaguely responded back.

The chairman observed him as he stared back, seeing a hidden determination. He took off his glasses, setting them to the side and sat forward in his seat. He rested his chin in one of his hands and looked back down at the folder. His fingers tapped against the surface of the desk as he pondered to himself. Not taking long, he then pushed the papers away from him and took a deep breath. "Ichijo," he began. "...Welcome to Cross Academy." Takuma immediately smiled and thanked him. "Mmm...Well, Mrs. Sophie will help you get settled with your schedule and uniform. I believe she still remembers you," Cross informed. Takuma gathered his belongings and made his way to the door. "Ichijo," he called before he went out. He reached into one of the drawers of his desk and tossed a small box to him. Takuma caught the object with ease and looked at the pack of blood tablets in his hand. "If _anything_ happens to my students or faculty, you won't have a hand to catch anything with the next time we meet," Cross said with a pleasant smile.

Takuma took note of the blade that rested at the corner of the room before returning the smile and replying back, "I'll keep that in mind." Then he opened the door and walked out.

The chairman twirled around in his armchair, staring aimlessly. When he finally stopped spinning, he looked down at the manila folder on his desk.

"That...was the easiest interview I've had in years..."

xxx

[Yoka's POV...present...]

_New student? Is he shitting me?_

"Professor?" one of the other students called out to me when I did not respond, looking completely stumped.

I was finally able to blink and then responded to the class while keeping my gaze fixed on Ichijo, "Turn to chapter twenty-two in your textbooks and read the first section on the early history of China." And without another minute, I rushed to him, snatched his hand, and dragged him out of sight. Arriving at the first garden enclosed by the building where many students mingled during their spare time, I released his hand and turned around to face him with such force that I could've sworn it made him jump. "What's going?" I spat out. "Wh-What is all _this_?" I asked referring to his attire.

"I'm a student," he honestly answered.

"_Bullshit!_" I snapped back, crossing my arms. "You're up to something! And if you don't tell me what it is-"

"Okay, calm down," he told me, remaining relaxed. "Why can't you just trust me on this?"

"Oh, like trusting you when you said we were just _really_ good friends?" I glared back at him. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd _freak out _like right now!" he shot back. I didn't say anything.

_He has a point..._

He sighed and ran his fingers through his short blonde hair.

"You have a class to teach," he then said. "I promise I'll explain everything when you're free." I gave him a look of disbelief. And he brought his hand up with his pinky out and said, "Pinky promise." His green eyes did not falter one bit as they looked into mine, and the sincere smile that his lips formed was undeniable. I brought up my hand and hooked my pinky to his. A wave of deja vu suddenly hit me, and when I finally organized my thoughts together, I was in my classroom in front of the chalkboard, chalk in hand with students awaiting for the rest of my lecture.

I couldn't stop thinking about him as I continued class. I lost count of how many times I glanced over at where he was. He sat at the back row of my farthest left. Multiple students - mostly girls - also took turns to get a glimpse of him, but he hardly responded to them. His attention was always on me. The students got up once the bell rang for next period. I looked to the back of the classroom to where Ichijo was and saw already a group of girls crowding around him.

He smiled gorgeously at each one but I then heard him say, "I'm sorry ladies, but I'm already seeing someone." They shared their disappointment but finally scattered to get to their next class.

"Already seeing someone, eh?" I said to him when it was just the two of us in the room. I faced the board and began erasing all the writing. When I turned back around, he was already standing in front of my desk, spinning the globe resting on it.

"Yes," he responded. "Technically, I'm still in a relationship."

_Is he referring to us?_

He then looked up at me and asked, "When's your next class?"

"Later," I simply told him, leaning over my chair. "And how about _you_? What do you have next?"

"Calculus," he said with an amused grin. "I don't think I'll be going though."

"Your first day and you're skipping classes already? Not a good first impression for your professors."

"I only need to impress _one_ teacher and I came to her class," he responded nonchalantly. "Though your reaction wasn't exactly as I had pictured." I quickly gave a smirk when I felt my face begin to blush from his flattering comment and noticed how he slightly smiled at me.

"So...I'm free," I then said, tucking my hair back. "Can we talk now?" I asked, hoping I'd no longer have to wait for answers. He came over to where I was behind the desk and leaned on it, naturally crossing his arms.

"The last time we met, I finally had the courage to tell you the truth about us," he said. "I saw that it was...a bit much to take in at first. But...you still need to know all that we've been through."

"I've told you...I don't remember-"

"Which is why I'm here," he quickly put in. "This was where everything started. And I'll be here, helping you every step of the way."

_Am I ready for this? Do I even want to remember?_

"So...no more lying?"

"No more lying," he promised. I looked off to the side for a moment as a question crossed my mind. He watched me carefully before asking, "Did you want to say something?"

_Though I'm not sure whether I'm ready to hear every detail that happened between the two of us, there is something that I want to know before I can hear any more._

"What happened between us?" I bluntly asked. My question had caught him off guard as he did not immediately respond. "How did we separate? And why did you come find me _now_?" He still didn't say anything.

_Will he tell me the truth?...Or is he thinking of a lie right now?...He promised though..._

He took a deep breath and uncrossed his arms, placing his hands on the desk to provide support. Then he told me, "Several weeks ago, I didn't even know you and I were in the same country."

_What?_

I stared back at him dumbfounded and confused. He too fixed his gaze on me and was no longer smiling but neither was he frowning. He just appeared...passive.

"I told you," he suddenly added. "No more lying."

_God...It's like he read my mind!_

I gathered myself together and then asked, "What do you mean you didn't know?"

"I guess 'Memory 101' begins now," he humorously said to the side. He looked up at me again and replied, "Rima and Yuki told me you left the country after graduating here."

"But I never did," I unconsciously said aloud.

_Why would they tell him such a thing? Unless...they were hiding something..._

"Now before you start over-thinking about what I said or why they said that, you need to understand that they did it for _us_. They meant no harm."

_For us? Why is everything turning out to be nothing but lies?_

"I don't understand," I told him, becoming distressed.

"Then let me help you," he comforted."Do you remember the vampire attack at Cross back when you were still in school?"

I nodded and then responded, "It happened right after we all came back from the holidays."

"I...led part of the attack."

"You what?" I gripped my hands tighter together.

_He's with Kaname. Isn't he one of the 'good' vampires?"_

"Please, don't be scared," he said in a gently voice when he noticed my body stiffen. He leaned closer towards me and I felt a certain connection form between us that cast away my fears. "I did it because of my grandfather." Thoughts of our date suddenly flowed into my mind.

_That explains the indifference that night._

"My grandfather and I had _different_ perspectives on our species and for our future," he explained. "But I didn't realize that till my friends got hurt and things got out of hand."

"So what happened to your grandfather?" I asked, actually absorbed in the story like it was some fascinating historical event.

"I killed him," Ichijo naturally answered back.

_Oh...That was...cold. The indifference returns._

My mouth opened but I didn't know how to respond. So instead, he did it for me.

"I know...It seems _unnatural_ to kill your own relative, but it had to be done." I noticed that he wasn't paying attention to me anymore. He seemed lost in thought, even displaying a slight tinge of unknown regret.

"Ichijo," I said in a quiet voice as to not startle him. He regained focus and turned to look at me. "What is it?" I asked, curious of his sudden reverie and the reason behind his upset visage.

"It's nothing," he replied, shaking his head.

"Takuma," I said, calling him by that name for the first time that it surprised him. My tongue tingled a bit from speaking it and my shoulders suddenly felt weightless.

_The name, the way it sounded...It felts so...right..._

I placed my hand over his...

_My actions...they feel so natural and at place..._

...and asked him, "What was it that you were thinking?"

"I," he began. "I thought of what would've been had I not killed him."

"Your grandfather? Why would you question yourself?"

"Because it was the battle with him that made me vulnerable...to Sara."

"Sara?" I stared at him even more puzzled.

"I killed grandfather but not without cost. I was unable to come back to you because I was suppose to be dead...But not before Sara found me-"

"Wait! _Who_ is Sara?" I interrupted.

"She's one of the very few purebloods still alive...and I was her prisoner for over a year."

_...Oh...That was...unexpected..._

"What did she want with you?" I inquired.

"At first she thought that I'd be her eyes and ears for any information about Kaname and his plans. But when that didn't really work out, I became her living puppet."

"And you escaped?"

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" he replied, smiling again.

"What happened?" I in turn asked. He hesitated a moment, like the air in his esophagus swelled and choked him.

"I fought my way out," he was finally able to say.

_What was the hesitation?_

"Kaname helped but in the end...she let me go..." he then finished.

"Just like that?" I wasn't fully convinced. But he nodded in response, and I didn't question him. "So if you were with her for a year after the attack..." I thought for a moment, counting with my fingers. "What about the other five years?"

"The next few years, I lived my life, wondering where you were as you lived yours...oblivious to my existence."

_That's right...My accident!_

"Why didn't you come see me earlier then?"He was looking at his shoes for a minute before he looked back up at me. "Unless," I continued, "That was when they told you I was gone!" He nodded back. "But why would they lie to you like that?"

"So that I'd move on, just as you had."

_Moving on?_

"Move on? What do you mean?"

"Yoka...you never had an accident."

_What is he saying?_

"I'm not sure exactly what it was that they said happened to you," he further explained. "But it didn't. You were never in an accident and you never had a concussion."

_You mean, it...was a lie?_

I was no longer in my classroom as I was literally lost in another world. I suddenly lost faith in my own memories. I had heard the others retell my accident multiple times of how I fell and injured my head that it felt like the recollection _belonged _to me. But the incident so deeply engraved in my brain was nothing but fiction.

"Yoka," I heard. A sudden warmth spread over my hand and throughout my body, reviving me back to the present. I looked left and right, seeing that I was sitting in my chair behind my desk. Takuma was kneeling in front of me, watching me with concern. I then looked down at my lap and saw his hand holding on to mine...and I tightly held on to his.

"I think...that's enough for today," he then told me when our eyes met.

"But you didn't finish," I replied, wanting new questions to be answered.

"We've already talked about a lot. Besides, there's always time. I go to school here now, don't I?" he reasoned, smiling at me. He let go of my hand and stood up.

"Takuma," I called his name as he grabbed his book from the desk. He came over to where I was already standing. "Is the uniform really necessary just to have more time to help me?"

"It's not just creating more time," he responded. "But also to _make up_ for lost time." He smiled cheerfully at me and added, "Besides, I always wanted to wear the Day Class colors." I couldn't help but grin to myself. "Enjoy the rest of your day, professor." He gave me a polite nod and exited the room. After some time, I sat back down at my desk and reached for the stack of papers by the side and a red fine-pointed pen. But rather having the answers to last night's homework come to mind, the only thing I could think of was _him_.


	13. How It All Happened

**I don't own VK.**

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[Yoka's POV]

My eyes wandered from the stop sign I passed to the weeds growing on the side of the street, unable to focus on the main road. "I can't believe I'm doing this," part of me kept saying as I gripped tighter onto the steering wheel to keep my hands from shaking. But I _needed_ to know. The past six years of my life have been a masquerade, and I blindly played along without question. Until now.

I gently lifted the ring in the bronze lion's mouth and knocked it against the door. My clutch on my purse tightened as the knock echoed inside the house. I prepared to knock again when the door suddenly creaked and a familiar arrogant, pinhead welcomed me.

"Yoka," Hanabusa greeted with the same aloofness after all these years.

"I called earlier to let Yuki know that I was dropping by," I responded indifferently.

Without another word, he stepped aside to let me in and said, "They're out in the garden."

"_They_?" I asked back, stopping in place.

"Rima's here as well," he replied, walking ahead towards the other side of the mansion.

_Rima's…here too…?_

We walked through the glass doors that separated the house from the garden. Yuki and Rima were seated around a small, white table with pastries and the usual hot tea spread out on top, surrounded by the vibrant colors of daisies, lavender, and carnations.

"Yoka!" Yuki called out to me, getting out of her seat.

"It's so good to see you," I said, bringing her into an embrace. She held onto my hands as she pulled away to look at me from head to toe.

"You look wonderful," she then said, unable to contain her excitement.

"And you and Rima both look dazzling as always," I responded admiring the beautiful hand-made dresses they wore.

"You should see what they look like in the mornings," Aido scoffed, bringing his tea cup to his lips. "Dammit!" he suddenly cursed, jumping out of his seat with his tea spilt on his lap. He threw a threatening glare at Rima.

"Certain liquids are excellent conductors of electricity," she said to him with an uncanny grin.

"Glad to see you too, Rima," I told her before she could retaliate at Aido making faces at her.

"You're too sweet, Yoka. I get the opposite reaction from my agent," she remarked with a sassy smile that very few ever got to see. Her dress showed off her model-like features even more as she stood up. "Well, I better get going. You and Yuki have some 'quality' time together." She took her clutch. "I'll catch ya la-"

"No! Wait!" I quickly interjected, startling her a bit. "I…came over to talk to Yuki about something, and it would be even better if you were here as well…"

"Okay…" she simply replied, taking her seat again. "I'm always ready for _some_ form of gossip," she added enthusiastically. I took my spot between the two ladies before looking across the table at Hanbusa, wiping the tea from his pants, oblivious to the disruption of his presence in the group. Finally noticing the unusual silence, he looked up at the three of us watching him.

"I believe this is my cue to excuse myself," he inferred and we nodded unanimously.

Once alone, Yuki reached for the pot and poured some tea in a new cup.

"So what is it that you want to talk about?" she asked, handing the cup to me.

"Well," I began, feeling the warmth from the tea heat up the china. "I uh…I talked to Takuma a few nights ago." I kept my gaze on the floral patterns of my cup, feeling uneasy about the topic.

"Did you see his new hair style?" Rima humorously put in, crossing her legs.

"Oh, I haven't!" Yuki eagerly responded. "How does it look?"

"So _not_ him!"

"It is…different," I commented, hoping to get back on track. "But I think it looks nice."

"That's a relief," Rima said, "Since your opinion is all that he cares about." Yuki chuckled to herself as I flushed bright red.

"So…what did you two talk about?" Yuki then asked once she had her laugh and I reverted back to my normal color.

"That's what I came here to talk to you about…both of you…" I carefully responded. "My accident…I know it's a lie." They remained quiet, looking away from me. Rima brushed her pigtail aside and placed her hand in her lap.

"I guess...she was bound to find out," she quietly said to Yuki. She then looked up at me, like a victim against a judge. "Look…If you're upset, I take full responsibility-"

"I'm not upset," I corrected. "I'm just…_confused_ and...and frustrated! I…_don't_ know what the hell happened!"

"We had to think of something when Takuma suddenly appeared out of missing and asked about you," she admitted. "You didn't remember him _at all_! Remember the time when we dragged you out of your classes at the university just to show you some ridiculous photos?"

"It was him…" I unconsciously spoke, seeing how oblivious I was to have not realized earlier.

"We had no choice…We lied to Takuma because we didn't want him to think that he returned for nothing. He _loved_ you _so much_ that we didn't want to see him lose sight of everything else to try and reverse a process that could not be undone."

Hearing her words, I found it harder to breathe after each breath. So little of the whole had been revealed and yet it felt so overwhelming. I looked upon their faces that lingered with guilt as the three of us were quiet. Gathering as much remaining courage as I could, I then asked, "What 'process'?"

Rima opened her mouth but no words were spoken. She looked to Yuki as if for some guidance.

"It was me," Yuki unexpectedly said in a voice I barely heard. "I was the one that did it…And I'll tell you everything…" And just like I asked, she told me exactly what happened– from the beginning when Takuma disappeared to when it was done and I woke up, meeting Rima for the first time.

[Flashback]

"Tell me everything!" Yuki eagerly demanded. "What's it like? Did you make any friends?" Yoka tried to smile back, figuring which question to answer first.

"Uh…well…" She sat forward and brought her long black hair over her shoulder. "It's a big campus," she answered first. "A lot of…different people – _human_ that is. And I met a few nice girls on my floor."

"It sounds amazing!" Yuki rambled on, apparently more lost in her own dream than what she was actually saying.

"College…really isn't that much different than high school. Busier…but that's about it," Yoka continued, lacking the enthusiasm that she had.

"When _aren't_ you busy?" Yuki responded, "You've been burying yourself in school work, job hunting and worrying about your family. I'm surprised you even have time to come see me." Yoka broke her gaze from her, looking off at the vase of yellow lilies at the center of the coffee table in front of them.

"I'd rather stay busy all day than to spend just two minutes thinking…"

"Thinking about what…?"

"What else?" She got up and walked over to the window, keeping her back facing Yuki to try and conceal her eyes tearing up. "I think to myself why Takuma would do what he did…and if he knew about the attack…why didn't he tell me? Did I mean so little to him of whether I lived or died? And if he did care…and kept such a secret from me, what else had he not told me? But despite all this sense of betrayal, the one question that never ceases to haunt me…is whether or not he's still alive…" She wiped her tears but still refused to turn around and then asked in a soft voice, "Have you all really stopped looking?"

"We stopped months ago."

"But you said…no body was recovered."

"Whether the body of a vampire remains or not depends on the cause of death," Yuki said, having to force every word out, sickening her to have to say such things. "It is possible…that his body burnt into ashes and was blown away by the wind…Yet, if he was alive, he would've come back to us by now." She stood up and walked over to the window. "Yoka, I'm …I'm sorry," she comforted, placing her hand on her arm but was instantly rejected. Yoka wrapped her arms around herself as she slowly fell to her knees, crying and no longer holding back. Yuki knelt down to her level and tried one more time to bring her hand to her shoulder. She felt her small body shake as each weeping moment she casted away the hope that she had finally conceived to be irrational and pointless. She brought Yoka into her arms, trying to hold together the puppet that was falling apart.

She wiped away her tears but her cheeks were still wet as she composed herself just enough to sit up on her own. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up at Yuki, her swollen eyes filled with a sudden sternness that was not there before.

"I want you to do it," she then said, her voice still a bit shaky.

"Do what?"

"Erase my memories."

"What…?"

"You said you could if I wanted," she explained, tucking her hair back again. "So do it."

"I…I will, but…you need to be certain that this is what you want-"

"I can't…_stand_ another day like this!" Yoka stammered. "I want to move on…but I _can't_!" Her eyes filled with agony. "These memories of him," she continued, "They're suffocating me! They're like a plague…_killing_ me from the inside out!" Her hands were shaking when she placed them over Yuki's, and then she implored one last time, "Please…take it all away…everything of him…"

"But what do I say when you ask what happened?" Yuki asked, hesitant to follow through.

"Make something up." She brought her hands over her face. "I don't care…I just wish…he never existed..."

Yuki watched her friend as she sat on the floor overtaken by the denial she postponed for so long. And finally, she could look no longer. She firmly took her hand and said to her, "You're one of my best friends, and the last thing I want to see is you suffering like this." She put her arms around her and brought her close. "It pains me to see you hurting so much," Yuki whispered, trying to hide the trembling of her voice.

"Do it…" Yoka said, holding tightly onto her. She gently placed her hand over the back of her head and they both held their breaths. Yuki felt her hands loosen around her shoulders and then fall to her side. The rest of her body rested against hers as she remained still, holding onto Yoka preciously like an infant.

"This…was the right thing to do…" she assured herself with doubt clinging inside. She looked down at her friend once she placed her on the bed in one of the guest bedrooms. As she watched, she noticed a sudden change in Yoka's complexion. The angst that clung onto her all this time had finally lifted. All that was left to do now…was wait. She plopped down onto the armchair next to the bed and sighed. "So…what now?" Suddenly, her eyes grew larger and she quickly went to the telephone.

"Hello?"

"Rima, I need your help!"

[End of flashback…Yoka's POV]

"And what happened afterwards…you should remember," Yuki concluded, looking nervously at me. I looked down at my hands as I tried to process an event that I never even knew took place.

"Yoka," Rima said, placing her hand over mine. "I'm sorry…for everything."

"What're you apologizing for?" I responded, looking at her and then Yuki. "You two didn't do anything wrong."

"But this whole fabrication of you falling and all the bullshit we fed you and Takuma…"

"It's okay. You were just looking out for me. And in all honesty, I'm so happy to have you two as friends," I assured them, forming a small but truthful smile. Hearing my words, they appeared liberated by the guilt that haunted them for years, and I was glad to see my friends no longer burdening themselves with such thoughts. "Is…is there a way I can get them back…my memories?" I then asked. "Something you can do?" Both ladies presented an unfortunate visage that was reinforced by their answers.

"I'm sorry…but I can't reverse it," Yuki informed me. "I warned you before that I couldn't."

"So then…it's impossible to ever remember."

"No!" she cut in, "It's not impossible. There's just nothing _I_ can do about it."

"Yuki!" Rima interrupted, staring at her. I looked between the two of them apparently communicating through their gazes.

Unable to remain left out, I demanded, "What is it?"

"Regaining memories that been wiped has never happened before," Rima explained, crossing her arms. "But it's never been attempted either. The technique's been practiced by vampires for generations. We've even used it on day class students multiple times without flaw.

_They what?_

"Don't worry," Rima then put in, seeing the distress I suddenly went through. "None of us touched a single hair on you. Takuma made sure of it." My chest felt less strained after hearing those words. Even after being told several times about how Takuma really felt about me, I still couldn't help but be surprised – and somewhat flattered – to hear that he cared so much.

"Whether or not you remember, is all up to you."

_And she's right. Memories can't be wiped away. But they can be suppressed._

Seeing that the three of us had finally come clean with one another, the atmosphere became less tense. Rima had finally stopped fidgeting, Yuki loosened her clutch on her dress, and I felt heart slow down to a more comfortable beat.

"Yoka," Rima suddenly spoke. "It was Takuma that told you to ask us, wasn't it?"

"Actually, no," I answered with a small smile. "He didn't suggest anything. He doesn't even know I'm here."

"Have you been seeing him often?" Yuki asked.

"I uh…" I gave a nervous laugh, a little uncertain as to how I should respond. "I…practically see him every day."

"Every day?" Rima burst out. "Damn, girl! So you're dating already?"

"No, no! It's not like that. You see…Takuma…he's my student…"

"WHAT?"

xxx

I sat behind my desk, pretending to grade papers as I carefully watched Ichijo. He sat in the very middle of the classroom, enclosed by a barrier of girls sitting around him. My sight sharpened like a hawk with every passing second a student peeked over at him and giggled like an idiot whenever he caught their eye. I glanced down at the paper in front of me and noticed how hard I was pressing down on my pen that it made the red ink bleed through the pages. The bell rang for next period and the students rose.

"Turn in your essays, please," I announced as they began to shuffle out of the classroom. The crowd of girls that sat around Ichijo surrounded him, speaking at a volume that I was unable to hear. I stood up and turned to the chalkboard. "Shouldn't you ladies be getting to class?" I said aloud with my back to them as I erased the writing on the board, trying to appear casual. I could hear them immediately gather their belongings and scramble out. I gave a quick look over my shoulder and saw him already standing beside my desk with a highly amused grin.

"Marking your territory already?" he said with much pleasure.

"Excuse me?" He smiled to himself at my little act of innocence and walked towards me.

"Don't tell me that a few adolescence are making you nervous…"

"A 'few'? It was a _throng_ of hormone enticed girls that just want to _rip_ their shirts off in front of you!" _Whoa!_ I abruptly stopped. _Where did that come from?_

"Yoka?" I looked down at him his blue eyes catching a quick glimpse of mine, and then I turned to the chalkboard again, erasing away at nothing. He took my hand that was by my side and looked back at me with that indescribable smile of his that brought about a compelling sensation to spread through my body.

"You have _nothing_ to worry about," he then assured, giving a modest kiss on my hand that made my skin tingle wildly from the touch of his tender lips. Releasing my hand to its place by my side he took out several pieces of paper that were stuck between the pages of his textbook and placed them on top of the stack on my desk. "I believe you'll find my essay _very_ intriguing," he said with a playful smile. "Enjoy the rest of your afternoon." And he slipped out of my sight. I glanced over at the pile of papers, feeling a nerve twitch. There was no second thought as I flung myself towards my desk, snatching up the first page on top. Goosebumps haunted me as I devoured every last word of the eight pages, front and back. The writing was so detailed and the content so real, that it felt like an exact recording of the events. I set the papers down and looked out my window at the school courtyard with students studying and chatting. I turned to see the paper again and read the first few lines one more time:

_"It was like any other day at school. I obediently attended classes in the evenings when the outside was plagued with darkness. And as the professors babbled on about topics that I could care less about, I just could not stop thinking about the one girl that I was unable to allure at the snap of my fingers."_

xxx

I layed in my bath tub, the hot water and bubbles rejevnating my muscles, and the sweet fragrance of vanilla from the candles aided in the relaxation. I looked over at Takuma's "essay" on the sink counter and turned to the ceiling again as I sank deeper into the water. I had already read it over five times, taking in every small detail in hopes that I would somehow remember _something_. But at the end of the day, I still felt like only a bystander to the unfolding events that I imagined as I read. I felt nothing like the Yoka described. What she saw, what she said – none of it was familiar…and it worried me. _What if I really can't get them back? What'll happen then? _I blew away a bubble that drifted towards me as I tried sitting up. _Everything was fine before…Everything was simple! Now…it's not…_


	14. Yes or No

**I don't own VK**

* * *

"I still can't believe Cross is letting you stay even when you never go to class," Yoka said as the server set down her coffee.

"That's not true," Takuma replied, taking up his cup of green tea. "I do go to class…just yours. Besides, I'm doing fine in the rest."

"Exceptionally fine," she corrected. "You've been acing every exam and assignment in _all_ of them." He gave her a peculiar look. "What? I was curious," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh! Also, as a matter of fact, I _did _find your paper very intriguing."

"Was it helpful?" he asked, catching her eye. She shifted in her seat, tugging the sleeves of her grey cardigan.

"It was, but…It didn't jog anything," she answered, sounding disappointed. Takuma looked over at an old couple sitting at one of the booths to their right.

"I guess I'll just have to keep trying."

"You're really not giving up, are you?"

"Do you want me to?" he frankly replied back. "I don't think I ever really asked you if you wanted to remember in the first place. I kinda just...dropped it on you. So maybe we should take a few steps back. Do you want to remember?"

"Yuki and Rima said it's never happened before-"

"Don't listen to them or what any of us say." He leaned closer to me, resting his elbows on his knees. "It's _your_ choice, just like how you wanted to forget. It's always been your choice."

She looked nervously back at him, "What if I say no…?"

"Then…I'm just going to have to move on." He gazed at her honestly and then stood up. "I think I should let you think about it for a bit," he said with a sweet smile.

She sat at the same table after he had left, staring at the mug of tea next to her coffee. People exited and entered, ordered and picked-up, but she remained there, making what felt like the biggest decision of her life. There were so many possibilities that could happen if she did regain her memories. Some could be life-changing while others, not so much. The unknown and the lack of control of the outcome was where the doubt arose from. She took the last sip of her coffee, which by now had gone cold and put on her black pea coat. She stopped at the counter at the front of the shop, looking back at the spot that she was just sitting in, then out the glass door at the luminous moon as she walked out of the café with her answer.

xxx

"How come I don't ever see you anywhere but in this class?" the girl with the glasses and ponytail asked Ichijo, giving him a suspicious look.

"Yeah! You're not in any of my other classes," another said with her friend commenting in agreement. He gave an uneasy laugh as he didn't expect the girls to be pestering him for this long. He had forgotten how persistent many human high school girls were, and it almost made him nostalgic of the disciplinary committee.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Yoka announced, entering the classroom and immediately taking up a piece of chalk to begin writing. The girls took their seats not far from him, finally giving him room to blink.

Remembering how things ended a day or two ago at the coffee shop, Ichijo watched Yoka with a tinge of worry. But his thoughts were temporarily replaced by his admiration of her as she paced from one end of the room to the other, gesticulating her arms as she became more and more excited with the topic. Seeing how she had done so much and tried so hard to provide a better life not only for herself but for Alice, made him marvel her even more. With a few minutes of class left, Yoka took up a stack of papers in the black bin on top of her desk.

"I have your essays to hand back," she said, going around the room. Ichijo felt his collar tighten around his throat as she approached him and set his paper face down on his desk. He looked at her, a bit timid, and instead, she smiled pleasantly back at him and walked on forward. The bell rang before he had time to look at the paper, and the original posse of girls gathered around him, asking what his next class was. He looked up and noticed Yoka peek over at him from the corner of her eye as another student discussed his grade with her.

He then turned to the girls and told them, "Ladies, I appreciate all of your hospitality in helping me adjust to school, but I think I got it from here on." He offered a simple and quick smile and excused himself. Once outside in the hallway packed with students, he flipped his paper over to the front and stopped in place, grinning to himself as he looked at the 'Yes' written at the top.


	15. Feelings

**I don't own VK**

* * *

Yoka pushed her glasses up as they began to slip from the bridge of her nose. She wrote the score on the worksheet and set it in the bin of graded papers.

"What're you doing on campus?"

She turned to the door where Takuma was with his sweater over a buttoned shirt and a pair of oxfords. He was always dressed so properly when he wasn't in uniform. "I have work to do," she replied, setting her pen down.

"It's break. Shouldn't you be taking the week off?" He came over to where she was, looking at all the papers scattered on her table.

"Doesn't mean I don't have papers to grade."

"How about this…" He sat on the corner of her desk and continued, "You take today off with me, and I'll grade all your papers for you."

"That's a very tempting offer, but..." She was hesitant, tucking her hair behind her ear. She tried not to look at him as he put on an endearing smile that he knew was difficult for her to reject. "Fine," she finally agreed, getting up from her seat. She took her coat that was over her chair and reached for her purse in the locked drawer of her desk.

"You look nice today," he complimented as they walked into the small town closest to the school. She looked down at the simple white top she wore and her beige coat in her arms.

"It's just jeans and heels," she said, adjusting her purse higher onto her shoulder.

"Still…Your glasses add to your look."

"Oh, no. I forgot about them." He stopped her before she could remove them.

"No, leave them on. They're nice."

"You don't think I look like a complete dork?" she asked with an embarrassed laugh.

"Not one bit," he responded. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks and clutched tighter on to her coat. "You didn't have them before, so I like the change." He smiled and then offered, "Can I hold that for you?" His hand gestured for her coat, and she handed it to him, still glowing brightly. She peeked over at him from the corner of her glasses as they continued to walk and noticed him grinning to himself.

"What is it?"

He shook his head lightly and replied, "Nothing, you're just very red right now."

"Oh god! I know!" she panicked, bringing her hands over her cheeks. "I usually don't blush this much! It's just that with you – What you say – I just –"

"Apparently I still know what to say to make you flush like this," he smirked and she held tighter onto her face.

"So where are we going?" she asked once they came near to the park.

"To the pond."

"What're we going to do there?"

"I remember you telling me back in high school how much you missed ice skating." His response perplexed her and then she noticed the small duffle bag in his hand.

"But there aren't any indoor rinks here…and obviously it's too hot for any outside ones."

"You just leave that to me." The two of them arrived at the pond, its water glistening under the sun. She saw a man sitting on one of the benches on the other side of them notice their presence and stand up. She tried to get a clearer look at the man approaching and recognized him.

"Isn't that…"

"Hanabusa?" he finished and nodded. "I'm glad you could come," Takuma greeted, dropping his bag onto the grass.

"I didn't really have a choice now did I?" he scoffed back. He turned to Yoka. "Good to see you."

"Likewise," she responded to the empty gesture.

He turned his attention back to Takuma and reminded him, "You owe me." He brushed his coat aside as he squat down and placed the tip of his finger on the surface of the water. At the instance of his touch, the water began to freeze, starting from where he was and then spreading till it reached the opposite end.

"Thank you," Takuma acknowledged.

"Whatever makes you stop harassing me at the clinic," he responded, standing up to leave. Yoka knelt down to the water which was now a solid platform of ice. She tapped on the surface with her nail and looked up at Takuma amazed.

"I told you I'd take care of it," he said in a warming demeanor. He opened his bag and took out a pair of ice skates handing it to her. She quickly tied her hair in a ponytail and eagerly put them on. Fear of the ice suddenly cracking disappeared as she smoothly skated from one end to the other. The pond was completely solidified. It was refreshing to skate again. She was always too busy to go out and enjoy herself. And when she was with Takuma, she could. She came to a gentle halt and looked over at him, sitting on the nearby bend, watching the scenery around them and then at her, gliding around without a care in the world.

"Come skate with me!" she called to him, motioning for him to join.

"I would if I could," he replied as she skated over to him with ease.

"Then what's the point of skating if you don't even know how to?"

"To see you happy," he honestly answered. The rosiness of her face lit up and she quickly skated away so he wouldn't see.

"But it's no fun if you just sit there," she went on, swirling around. Suddenly, a small grin played onto her lips. She let out a scream and fell onto the ice.

"Yoka!" He snapped up from the bench. She remained still, holding on to her leg.

"Takuma…it's my ankle! I think it's – " And before she could even finish, he leaped towards her. His mind suddenly going into a panic the moment his foot hit the ice…and slip backwards. His back hit the rock-hard surface and the force and lack of friction propelled him into her.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" Yoka urgently asked. He slowly opened his eyes and she stared back at him with her glasses almost about to fall off.

"Are you okay?" he asked back instead, quickly sitting up. "Your ankle! Does it hurt?" he inquired, observing her foot. She brought her hands over her mouth and her face glowed pink as she started laughing.

"I was just trying to get you on the ice," she finally said to rid the confusion on his face. "I didn't expect you to rush in like that. You're pretty clumsy, ya know?"

"But you're not hurt, right?" he asked again.

She placed her hand over his and replied, "I'm fine." Her grin gradually faded as she looked back at him, suddenly seeing the care that embodied his every word and action.

"What is it?" he then asked, noticing her sudden change in demeanor.

"It's…so familiar…" she began. "How we fell…and how we're facing each other like this…"

"This isn't the first time. Last time it was in a fountain." He looked at her with a bit of hope. "Do…you remember?" She thought for a moment and shook her head to his disappointment. "That's okay," he softly said, cutting off his gaze from hers.

"Sorry," he barely heard her say.

"For what?"

"For not remembering."

"That's not your fault."

"I know, but...it's just that I know how much you want the old me back, but no matter what you do or how hard I try…I can't seem to find her!" Her hand started to tremble over his and she began to withdraw. He firmly fastened his fingers around hers before she could remove them from his touch.

"Yoka," he said, making her heart beat faster against her chest. "Please…don't hit me." He brought his hand to her face and gently caressed the back of his fingers along her cheek. Then, he leaned towards her and brushed his lips over hers – no more, no less. A wave of passion burst inside her, but she quickly caged it up, preventing the sudden feel of euphoria from showing. He pulled back slightly, seeing she had no reaction. Before their eyes could meet, she turned away.

"I think it's time I headed back."

xxx

[Yoka's POV]

I opened the door to my apartment and saw Alice sitting on the couch.

"Hey! Where've you been?" she asked, pointing the remote at the television.

"Ice skating," I simply replied.

I shut the door to my bedroom behind me, dropping my purse on the ground. And then…I stopped suppressing the enormous pleasure that built up within me. My legs weakened, shaking before giving way, unable to support the weight of my body. As I knelt on the ground, my skin was cloaked with goosebumps and burned with desire, yearning for his touch again. I slowly brought my hand to my mouth, tracing my fingers over where his sweet lips touched mine, and I felt the lust that dripped from them.

_All these emotions…_I ran my hands through my hair, my body still on fire. _It was just one kiss…One simple peck on the lips! _I stared at nothing as my sight was concentrated in my thoughts, replaying the _small _kiss that brought about such an uproar in me. _I've never felt this way before_. My breathing was far from stable as my chest heaved up and down. My throat was tight and my eyes were strained. I could feel my soul repeatedly rip itself in half with every second I remained separated from him. It was so violent, yet so elegant. All I saw was him. All I smelled was the fragrance of his cologne. And all I felt was this sudden, uncontrollable affection for him. "My emotions…It feels too fast, too sudden." _Rima, Yuki...They keep saying he loves me. Maybe…all I'm feeling is how much the old me inside still loves him._


	16. You are Cordially Invited

**Forgot to mention it before - sorry for the wait.**

**I don't own VK.**

* * *

[Yoka's POV]

I opened one of my eyes, woken by the bright beam of light seeping from the curtains and shinning on to my face. Sluggishly sitting up, I turned to my alarm clock. It was nine o'clock, Tuesday morning.

_I guess all the thinking these last few days really took its toll on me_. _Thank god it's break._ Stretching my arms in the air, I hopped out of bed to the bathroom. I went over to my cellphone on my bedside table with my toothbrush in my mouth. _No messages still..._ I then poked my head out of my room to look at the answering machine outside in the living room as I continued brushing my teeth in circles. I rushed back into the bathroom and scurried out to the machine. The red light on it blinked. _Maybe he called! It has to be him!_ I pressed the button, awaiting the anticipated message.

"Yoka! It's Rima! We're going shopping for the ball! It's time to spend all those savings-" I quickly pressed the button to stop the recording. A rather befuddled look overcame me rather than the vexed frown that almost appeared from the disappointment of hearing a voice other than his.

"Ball?" I said to myself, looking down at the answering machine. "What ball?" I jumped in place from the sudden knock on the door. _Alice has a key and the mailman usually leaves the mail downstairs. Who else could it be…?_ I stared at the door, hesitant to make a move. Taking a deep breath, I went over to the front door and peered into the eyehole. A man clearly in his fifties stood on the other side. I could see him properly dressed in a black suit that closely resembled one worn by a butler or housekeeper. Seeing no reason why not, I gently opened the door.

"May I help you?" I asked in a rather timid voice. He was slightly taken aback by my appearance, and I looked down at my short, pink pajama shorts and light blue spaghetti strapped tank. I brought one of my hands to my face, trying to conceal the intense change of color my face was experiencing. "Please, excuse my attire," I was barely able to cough out.

"Not at all, miss," he politely responded, smiling sympathetically. Without another waste of time, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a red envelope with my name beautifully written in cursive on the front. "The Kuran's humbly request your presence this Thursday evening." I took the envelope and opened it.

"You are cordially invited to the Vampire Council's annual ball this Thursday evening hosted by the Kuran bloodline," I read to myself. _What the hell is this?_ "Kind of a late notice," I unconsciously said aloud.

"The mistress requested I send her apologies," the delivery man responded, startling me. "Your invitation was prepared at the last moment."

"Oh…" I looked back down at the piece of fine paper and the beautiful words etched onto it. "Well, thank you." He gave me a bow that I wasn't use to and then turned around to leave. I set the invitation on the coffee table and sat down in the armchair, not taking my sight off it. _Why did I get invited? I've never been invited before. Why now?_The questions encircled me, boggling my mind more with every moment. _Should I go? Takuma might be there…Then that means I need to buy a dress. Rima can help me. Wait…Will I be the only human? _I couldn't take the influx of unknowns anymore. I reached for the phone next to me and inevitably dialed Yuki's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is the madam available? It's Yoka Hananzo ."

"One moment, please."

"Good morning, Yoka!" a familiar voice greeted.

"Hey, what's all this about a ball?" I directly asked, skipping the jibber jabber.

"Oh good! You got the invitation! I'm sorry for the sudden invite though. But it'll be wonderful if you can come!"

"What's it for?"

"It's a formal thrown every year so that council members and major bloodlines can meet and discuss certain issues."

"Then why am I going? I'm not in the council, and I'm _definitely_ not a vampire."

"Yes, but Takuma's a vampire, and since you two have been so 'close', that makes you a valid guest!"

_What?_ I could just imagine Yuki snickering to herself on the other line. I wanted to deny what she said, but I couldn't. It wasn't like it wasn't true. _Possibly…It's something more._ I remembered earlier this week _clearly_. There were feelings unexplained and thoughts that needed to be converted into words.

"Hey, Yuki…" I quietly said from the moment of pause. The phone beeped before I could finish. I looked at the caller ID and recognized the number. "Never mind. Can I call you back later?" I hung up the call and answered the new line. "Hello?"

"Did you get my message?" Rima practically screamed into the phone.

"Yes…yes, I did," I responded, rubbing my ear.

"So when are you free?"

"Huh? Oh…" I couldn't get my head around her words. "I don't know. I mean I…I probably need to check my account and – " The door opened and Alice walked in, carrying several boxes.

"Hey! These are yours," she said, setting them on the couch next to me. "The delivery man was gonna' bring it up, but I told him I got it."

_What the hell is going on today?_"Rima, hold on a sec…" I set the phone on the table and moved to the couch, taking up the small card on top of the smaller box with my name on it. _What is it now?_The writing seemed vaguely familiar and I opened the card, noticing Alice eyeing my every move from the kitchen. All that was written inside was a letter …'T'…I then carefully unwrapped the ribbon from the package. Luckily I was seated; else I would've lost my footing from such a shock. The gorgeous diamond necklace glistened before me as it dangled from my fingers, reflecting off any rays of light that made contact with it. Alice sat next to me, stunned by the magnificent piece of jewelry either of us have ever been able to touch.

"Is it…Is it real…?" she asked, dazed by its lustrous sparkles.

"Ya…" I was still in awe, admiring the delicate craftsmanship done on the center diamond, carved like a rose. The necklace was definitely capable of buying my entire apartment and my car – possibly even more.

"Yoka," She nudged me, pointing at the earrings I had overlooked. I carefully set the necklace back into the soft padded box and brushed my fingers over the diamond earrings beside it. "There's more," she eagerly said.

I then looked at the large box beneath it and brought it up. My hands shook a little as I became anxious, having no clue as to what surprise lurked within it. _What else can it be?..._My heart pounded so fast against my chest, rushing blood everywhere throughout my body. My eyesight blurred a little as I just gaped at what resided in the box, clueless of what to say or what to even think. But my awestricken state came to a halt when I finally heard the shouting from the phone on the table.

"Hello?" I quickly said before even bringing the phone to my ear.

"Dammit, Yoka! Where the hell were you?" Rima demanded.

"Sorry," I apologized, feeling slightly guilt for having forgotten about her. "What were we saying again?"

"When are we going shopping for dresses?"

"Oh…right…" I looked down at the box in front of me and then at the diamonds. And like a little girl who had ice cream for the first time, the rosiness of my cheeks blossomed and my heart took over and smiled as I told her, "I…I actually already have a dress…"

xxx

[Two days ago]

"Yuki tells me you're back at Cross," Kuran mentioned, taking a seat in one of the chairs along the bar table.

"Word travels fast," Ichijo responded pouring a glass of bourbon and sliding it to him.

"I find all your efforts in chasing after this one human very entertaining." He took a sip from the glass. Ichijo finished his in one gulp and set it down, crossing his arms with an unamused smile as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

"What do you want, Kaname?" he asked. His friend reached into his jacket and pulled out a red envelope. He placed it flat on the table, sliding it towards him. Ichijo eyed him mysteriously and removed the card from inside. "A party…" he scoffed to himself, setting the piece of paper back on the table.

"It's the annual counselor's ball-"

"I know what it is." Takuma placed his hands in his pockets. "And I suppose you want me to go?"

"Well, that is the intention of an invitation."

"Thanks but no thanks," the blonde instantly responded with a quick smile that faded within seconds.

"Why not?" Kaname sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. "Your grandfather always attended."

"Yes, but my grandfather and I are two _very_ different individuals…plus he was actually a member of the council."

"But you're not going as a member." His amusement returned to his complexion. "You're going as security along with the others."

"So you're putting me to work? And how is that suppose to further coax me into going?"

"It's not," he calmly replied, taking another sip from his glass, finishing his drink. "But Sara's going to be there." Takuma sent him a scowling look.

"I'm going to ask you again. What do you want?" his tone becoming quite unsettling. "You've never requested my presence before. Why are you so persistent now?"

Kaname kept his stern gaze on him and began, "There obviously was and is some sort of tension between you and Sara since you returned. I didn't want to pry and your lack of interest in _anything_ was more than enough to imply your disregard of any business having to do with the likes of us, so…I left you out. Haven't you noticed I never asked for you to return to my side?"

"I just assumed things changed," Takuma put in, realizing how unaware he had been.

"They have, but not completely. There are still vampires that disregard human life and prey on them. And there are still those that think they're God…especially one in particular."

"She's going to be at the party and you want me on security duty," Takuma then said. "Her blood still pulses through my veins. What makes you _think_ I'd even get within five miles of her?"

"So you've been tamed. I presume this happened right when she took you." There was no response. "And that explains why she asks about you so much. Apparently she's having a difficult time finding you."

"Good. I made sure of it."

"But…if you're sired to her, how is it possible that you escaped? Even with my little cello trick, it would've been impossible. She could bend you with one finger." By then, Takuma was drinking from the bottle. He looked down at the alcohol in his hands, compiling a response.

"I slept with her," he bluntly answered, seeing no more reasons to hide it from him. "And she let me go." Kaname hardly flinched, like he was expecting nothing less. "She found out about Yoka, and realized that no matter what she did, I'd never be hers. And well…she got 'upset'."

"And so you feel like you've dishonored your love for Yoka?"

"The problem wasn't the act of doing it, but…how I felt. Sara…When I _touched_ her…I _liked_ it. And I don't know if she was manipulating my emotions or not."

"So then, what are you really afraid of? Being forced to return to her side…or having to face what she holds over you? "

"Both…If I go back to her, I'll lose everything, including Yoka. And…I just can't afford to take that risk."

"What if I told you there's a way out?" Takuma looked up at him, curious of the sudden offer.

"Another 'cello trick' of yours?"

"No. You're bounded to Sara as long as her blood is in your body. Unlike the blood of any other vampire, the blood of a pureblood never leaves your system. It continually circulates. But what happens when you have blood purer than hers?" Kaname stood up from his seat and came over to him. He took a knife from the block on the counter and slit the palm of his hand in one motion. "Sara's blood is only that of the Shirabuki, but mine…My blood contains several 'pure' bloodlines." His blood dripped continuously from his hand into the glass Takuma drank out of. "Thus mine will dominate hers." He filled the cup completely full and finally allowed his wound to heal. Then he took the towel on the counter, wiping his hand clean. "So here's a way out." Takuma looked at the glass in front of him and then at his friend.

"If I drink this…Doesn't that just sire me to you then?"

"Exactly why it's your choice. Life is all about the choices that we make. But honestly speaking, in your scenario, since it's freeing yourself from Sara that you're after…What choice do you really have?"

Takuma brought his hand to the tempting glass of red, hovering over it, knowing what he desired but hesitant to follow through. "I guess…this means I'm on for security," he smirked, the tips of his fingers touching the rim of the glass.

Kaname gave an almost unnoticeable smile and then added, "You haven't been to a party like this in a while. Last time I remember, you were in shackles. Remember to dress appropriately this time. And Yoka will be there to accompany you." The blood was almost touching Takuma's lips when he immediately set it down so hard the glass cracked near the bottom_._

"What? She's going?"

"Of course. It's a ball. You can't go to a ball without a date."

"I'm on watchdog duty. I don't need a date. And I DON'T want her involved in any business of our kind!" he stipulated. Kaname leaned on the counter across from him.

"You just don't want her to know about Sara," he put in, seeing the distress on his face.

"Not this way." He stared at Kaname, who showed no sign of concern.

"Yuki was the one that requested her invitation, and its already been delivered. Her accompanying you is purely out of convenience. Whether she does or not is up to you. She's just there for the 'fun'." He straightened up and brushed away the piece of lint on the collar of his jacket. "You know how women are. They're impossible to argue with, especially when it comes to parties." He placed his hands in his pockets. "I'll see you Thursday, or maybe not. You have quite a handful of choices to make till then…" And he opened the front door and walked out.

Kaname stepped onto the pavement right outside Takuma's penthouse. Kain sat on a nearby bench, reading the local newspaper. He set the paper aside and stood as Kaname approached in his direction, and the two of them made their way down the street.

"How'd it go?" Kain asked, placing a toothpick in his mouth.

"The truth wasn't as…'happy' as I had wanted it to be," he answered, keeping his gaze ahead.

"What was it?"

"Let's just say that Takuma's been through more than we can ever fathom during his time with Sara."

"I see…" Kain looked off to the street they were passing, fiddling with the toothpick between his lips. "How'd he react to Yoka's invitation?"

"With disapproval of course. But there's nothing he can do. He has no reason to not let her go…unless he tells her the truth. I doubt he'll want to though." They stopped at the intersection and a black sedan pulled over.

"Kaname," Kain said once they were in the car. "Why did you suggest inviting her in the first place? She's human. Such an environment is dangerous for her."

"I'm more than aware of the danger I'm putting her in," he replied, looking out the window. "But Sara's becoming a nuisance. Imagine my shock when she asked about her." He looked over at his friend. "Her infatuation with Yoka is her weakness. Yoka's presence that evening will distract her. She'll make a mistake. And when she does, we'll be there to clean up the mess."

"Using her as bait…Takuma will kill us when he finds out," Kain commented, brushing his hand through his hair, seeming a bit worried.

"It doesn't seem like the most conventional way. But the hunters want a valid reason and Sara needs to be disposed of before things escalate. Her abuse over her power as a pureblood disgusts me...Plus I don't like it when a deluded, spoiled swine torments my friend for over six years." Seeing Kain give a nod in agreement, he turned to face the window again, looking out at the buildings they passed as they drove out of the city.

* * *

**Thanks for viewing. The next chapter will come out as soon as possible ^^**


	17. The Ball Part 1

**Enjoy.**

**I don't own VK.**

* * *

"Dressed to impress," Rima remarked as Takuma entered the empty ballroom in a white three-piece tux over a black, high-collared shirt.

"You look beautiful as well," he complimented, slipping his hands into a pair of formal, black gloves. He looked around the room as the servers finished laying out the food and decorations.

"I heard about your little 'back-to-school' thing," she mentioned with a sly grin. "Pre-tty impressive…" He gave an uneasy laugh in response, looking down at his black pointed dress shoes, shining from the chandelier's light. "You seem nervous," Rima then said, tilting her head to the side.

"A little," he admitted, kicking his heel against the marbled floor.

"She'll be safe," she then assured. "All of us are here. Nobody's gonna' _touch_ her."

"I hope so," he said with a doubtful smile.

"Takuma. Rima. You two ready?" Senri called from the entrance that led to the hall. "The guests are arriving."

Vampires of a plethora of bloodlines flowed into the room as the musicians played. He recognized some of the guests. They hardly looked any different than years before. There were also many that he had never seen - families that have come from countries across the globe just to meet the [notorious] Kurans. Takuma stood by one of the pillars near the doors, observing the influx of invitees.

"Ichijo," a familiar voice spoke. Hanabusa's father and mother came into sight.

"Aido-sama," he responded, giving them a courteous bow. "It's been a while. How have you been?"

"Good. We haven't seen you in years. I'm surprised I don't see you at council meetings more often, considering that the Ichijo's are the highest of the nobles, right behind the purebloods."

"I've been busy."

"More concerned with the mortal world than that of your own?"

"Love!" the mistress cut in, nudging her husband on the side. "Don't pry so much. Let the boy enjoy his evening." She showed an endearing smile.

"Thank you, and I hope the two of you have a wonderful night. Please excuse me," Takuma concluded, returning the smile and then making his way out of the vicinity and into the hall. He took out his silver pocket watch and checked the time.

"I see you took my advice." He looked up and saw Kaname and Yuki, strolling down from the other end.

He slipped his watch back into his pocket and then responded with a bit of humorous scorn, "It was one of the very few noteworthy advices you ever gave." He approached Yuki and brought her hand up to his lips and gave a modest kiss. "You look gorgeous tonight, Yuki."

She blushed pink and then told him, "Thank you…You look amazing yourself too."

"Everybody's in position," Takuma then informed. "We're spread out around the lobby, sipping champagne and looking fabulous as directed. All that's left is for you to make your _big_ entrance."

"Then shall we?" Kaname said, glancing down at Yuki who gave him a nod in agreement. The two of them walked towards the lobby. They suddenly stopped and he turned around to Takuma again. "Remember…it's all about choice."

xxx

"Good evening, miss," the valet greeted once he opened the car door. He was about to assist her out, but ceased in his movements, stunned by his sight. Yoka began to redden from the awkwardness of the man gazing at her, frozen in place. "Ah, my apologies, miss," he quickly put in when he reverted back to his self. "You look stunning tonight," he admired. She took his hand and carefully stepped out, giving him a shy smile and a nod in appreciation. Heads turned as her ivory, silk gown touched the red carpet once she stood and her long black hair fell along her back. The strapless dress elegantly wrapped around her body and naturally fell straight from her hips down. Whispers flowed from left and right and eyes bounced on and off her. The diamonds around her neck radiated magnificently like the stars as she slowly glided her way up the steps. Her hands began to sweat as she held tightly on to them, feeling uncomfortable from being surrounded by potential predators. With every step she took, she held her breath, hoping nobody would suddenly call her out. There were two men standing by the doors, asking for names and proof of invitation. She looked down at her hands – empty.

"Dammit…Where did I put it?" she began to panic inside.

"Invitation?" the guard on the right requested, displaying a questioning look when he saw her empty-handed.

"Miss!" a voice called out to her from behind. She turned around and saw the driver that had picked her up, run up to her. "You left your invitation in the car," he said, handing the piece of paper to her.

"Thank you," she gratefully said, feeling the tension in her shoulders disappear as swiftly as it came. She offered the card to the guard, which he took and observed.

"Name?" he required next.

"Yoshika Hananzo," she answered in a quiet voice.

He looked down at the list in his hands and nodded, "Welcome and enjoy the evening." He moved aside to allow her entrance. She entered and was surrounded by the majestic class of aristocracy. The chandelier on the ceiling was like a sun in the sky, beautifully illuminating the entire room filled with illustrious paintings and sculptures. There were tables lined with food of a wide variety, and servers making their way around everyone, serving delicious delicacies and champagne. One woman after the other was gorgeously dressed, and the men looked ravishing. Each individual sauntered around the room with prestige, confidence, and obvious wealth.

"I shouldn't have come," she muttered to herself, feeling out of place.

"Yoka?" She looked up and saw Kaien Cross a small distance across from her. He came over to her, followed by another man, vaguely familiar.

"Chairman," she replied, finally making out the second person. "Zero?"

"I see you're still lounging around vampires," he derided. She glared at him for the nasty implication from his words while Cross completely ignored them.

"What're you doing here? " he asked concerned with a sternness she rarely saw in him.

"I was invited."

"There must have been a mistake," he responded, giving a quick glance at Zero. "This is _not_ the right place for you. Are you with anyone?"

"She's with me," Takuma answered, casually making his way over. He joined the three of them, smiling gregariously with his hands behind him.

"Ichijo," the chairman spoke. Takuma returned the greeting, even nodding to Zero, who unheeded his polite gesture. "What is she doing here?" Cross immediately inquired.

"Yuki invited her. If you have any disagreements with the guest roster, I suggest you consult with her about it." And such a simple response was enough to cease the chairman from questioning any further.

Cross shook his head and then responded, "That won't be necessary. " He then turned to her. "Yoka, enjoy the rest of your night. I'll see you back at the academy." He motioned for Zero to follow as he continued forward. But before he could pass them, Takuma snatched him by his arm.

"If you ever disrespect her again, I'll tear your legs off to start with. And yes…I'm threatening a hunter," he warned with a menacing glare. Zero jerked his arm out of his clasp and disregarded his words. She looked over at Takuma once the two were gone.

"When did you get so hot tempered?" she remarked, watching him with curiosity over his actions.

"It's just a little spat," he replied, smiling attractively. "I actually don't even know if I'll really be able to tear off his limbs," he added with a small, amused laugh. "Maybe he'll tear mine off first."

"Why would you say that?" she said, seeming upset from his foolish talk. "I don't want to have to push you around in a wheelchair." He smirked at her comment and saw her grinning at him. He then gazed at her entirely for the first time tonight and lost himself in his admiration.

"Wow," he then said. "You look…beautiful." He saw her instantly light up from his compliment. Her cheeks reddened like roses and a smile gracefully formed from her lips.

"It's all from you," she responded, looking down at her hands. "And…I just want to say thank you." She was brave enough to look him in the eye as she spoke, and with every word that left her mouth, she felt his eyes reach out to her, speaking out his affections.

"You're very welcome," he told her. "And I'm sorry for not picking you up myself."

"It's fine. Your driver was very sweet. And you're busy tonight anyways."

"I'm not too busy to have a dance though…" he said with a playful grin. He offered his hand to her like a noble gentleman, and she graciously accepted without hesitation. The warmth of his hand seeped from his black, nylon gloves to her fingers and up her arm as he led her to the other room where the music played.

"Can I ask you something?" Yoka asked as they slowly danced.

"It's about Cross, isn't it?" He saw the sudden expression of surprise come over her. "I had a feeling you still had something on your mind. What is it?"

She thought for a moment before speaking, "Your answer to him…He didn't question it at all. I just thought it was strange."

"I'm sure you know how the chairman views Yuki," he began explaining. "She's his precious 'daughter'. And like any other father, anything daddy's little girl wants…she gets."

She smirked, "I never thought of the chairman as the 'spoiling' type."

"He loves her as if she was his own," he continued. "He's a good man."

She smiled to herself and softly added, "So are you..." His muscles stiffened and he slowed down from dancing, almost to the point of complete stop.

"I'm...not that good," he replied, almost like a whisper, averting her eyes.

"I can't imagine you harming anybody or any _thing_."

"Then you're greatly mistaken." The change of his tone was so distinct. "I have sins...that I can't escape from-"

"Don't we all," she tried to comfort. "None of us are perfect, Takuma."

"But you are," he stated, looking at her. She smiled and shook her head as she looked to the side.

"You of all should know...that that's not true. I've made so many mistakes that I've lost count. But I can't help it. Life...and the choices we make...it's _hard, _and..._cruel_ at times."

"But you've always managed to pull through and make the best choice." He brought his hand to her chin, turning her to face him. "You're determined...stern but gentle...caring...and that's what makes you so perfect." His face was so close to hers that she thought he would make a move. But he didn't. He just kept his hand on her cheek, the tips of his fingers tantalizing her skin. And when he removed it, he saw her eyes cry out for his touch again.

"There's…there's something I've been wanting to ask," he mentioned with a bit of difficulty. "That day at the park…" Her heartbeat started to race. "Did…I upset you?" Her throat tightened and it became harder to breathe.

"N-no…I...wasn't upset," she forced out, feeling the goose bumps cover her arms. "It's just…I-I felt-" Her nerves jittered. She didn't know how to explain without making it seem like some sappy love confession. He leaned in closer to her, the distinct fragrance of her perfume engulfing him with every breath he took. An ecstatic sensation traversed through her from where his hand was on her waist as he drew her closer to him, pressing his lean but firm body against hers. She held tighter on to him, with every inch of her body screaming out for his warmth, and rested her face against his chest, hearing his heart steadily beat.

[Ichijo's POV]

She never finished her sentence, but it didn't matter. _She was never the best with words. _Her grasp on me was enough to show what she was thinking. I held on to her, gently moving with the melody of the piano. I closed my eyes as I listened to her racing heart gradually slow down to a steady rhythm. She was so still, so relaxed that it felt like we were the only ones in the room. And I wished this moment would never end. All the times I pondered of what to tell her next and what to do to make her remember, to make her fall back in love with me...it resulted in this peaceful moment that seemed so perfect, like nothing had ever happened to begin with.

_(It was just a pity of how quickly that moment ended.)_

An unexpected jolt shot up my spine, and I quickly opened my eyes and looked among the crowd around us. _What was that? _I observed the people in the room, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. I looked down at Yoka, still in my arms, unaware of my sudden commotion. "It was probably nothing," I assured myself, returning back to savoring the enchanting moment…But then I saw that _face_ - the face that I have come to loathe and fear over the years. Her poisonous eyes were fixed on me as she stood at the other end of the ballroom with poise and devious intentions. A malicious smile spread across her doll-like face as an unknown man walked in front of her and she vanished. I let go of Yoka, pushing my way several steps forward, not taking my eyes from the exact spot where that _monster_ stood.

"Takuma, what's wrong?" she asked, holding on to my fingers and seeing the anxiety pour from the pores of my face.

_I knew this was a bad idea, her being here._ I grabbed her hand and then said to her, "Yoka, you need to go." I didn't even give her a chance to respond before I began dragging her from the ballroom back to the lobby.

"Wait," I heard her shout out to me. But I ignored her plea. There was no time to wait. "Stop! Takuma!" I couldn't hear her. I couldn't hear anything but my thoughts, yelling at myself for having been so _stupid_ to have not done anything to prevent her from coming.

_I just let her come! I didn't do anything!_

"Takuma, you're HURTING me!" Those were the words that I finally heard, yet…I should never have let go. Immediately when I released my grip, another walked in between us, completely breaking my reach from her. I spun around to get her, but she wasn't there. I franticly turned from side to side and behind me. But she was nowhere.

_Yoka...I lost her…_


	18. The Ball Part 2

**Enjoy.**

**I don't own VK.**

* * *

[Ichijo's POV]

I felt like an empty corpse, my soul sucked out of me when she broke from my touch. I didn't know what to do. My mind was clouded with nothing but regret and self-disappointment. _It's my fault. I shouldn't have encouraged her to come with all the gifts and the driver…"I" actively brought her into this mess!_ I had no sense of direction as I shoved my way through people, ignoring the complaints and glares they threw at me.

"Takuma?" Rima said when I unexpectedly pushed her into Senri.

"You don't look too good," Senri put in, staring at me unusually.

She noticed the deranged look on my face and asked, "Where's Yoka?"

"I lost her," I answered, unable to focus my gaze on them as my mind spun out of control. "I saw Sara, and…I _lost_ her…" The tie around my neck felt so tight, constricting me every time I breathed. "It's my fault," I rambled on. "I shouldn't have let her come. I should've told Kaname not to. Now, Sara probably has her, and-" I was suddenly forced back to reality as Senri grabbed me by my shirt and gave me a hard jerk.

"LISTEN!" he commanded. "_PICK_ your balls back up and _PULL_ yourself together!" He gave me another jerk. "Now tell us exactly what it is you want us to do!"

I took a few deeps breaths once he released me. _He's right. All this whining is useless._ My heart began to slow down and my thoughts were lined up once again. Thinking was finally plausible. "I need to find Ruka first," I informed them.

"Ruka?" Rima repeated, looking at me peculiarly.

"She's the only one that can locate Yoka if she's still in the vicinity," I clarified.

"What do you want us to do?" Senri then asked.

I contemplated for a moment before responding, "I need you two at the front entrance. Nobody gets _in_ or _out_!" We wasted no time and separated. Ruka was the most important person at the moment. She was the one person that could tilt the odds between Yoka's survival and death.

I reentered the ballroom, scouting out for either Ruka or Akatsuki. It felt like there was even more people lurking around the room than before, making finding them seem almost impossible. I circled the room, checking every corner. Nothing. I felt my hands begin to sweat as I became worried with every second I wasted in an unsuccessful attempt. Finally, I made it to the center of the room. _They're suppose to be here! This was their part of the property to keep an eye on! _I calmed myself again, taking in steady breaths. _Where else have I not checked?...The balcony!_ I rushed to the balcony at the other end but found it empty. "Dammit!" I cursed to myself, rubbing one of my hands over the back of my neck.

"Hahaha! Akatsuki!" a playful voice fluttered through the air. I looked to the right and saw the two of them at the far corner of the terrace next to me, partly concealed in the shadows.

"Ruka! Akatsuki!" I called to them, stepping on to the platform, completely disregarding their moment of privacy.

"We're kind of busy right now," Akatsuki responded with no means of disrespect.

"What's wrong?" Ruka then asked as I approached them with a troubled guise.

"I need you to locate Yoka for me," I directly requested.

"What?"

"Sara's here and I need to find her before _she_ does," I said, glancing at Kain, to pardon my intrusion.

She appeared tense from my immediate demand but replied, "There's a lot of people here, so I'll need a minute or two. Hold on…" We remained quiet with only the music and chatters playing in the background as we watched her close her eyes and begin to concentrate. My nerves twitched throughout my body, making the seconds go by like years. The thumping of my heart grew louder and louder, increasing the anxiety building up within me while I waited with no other choice. Her eyes then flicked open and she looked up at me and said, "I found her."

[Yoka's POV]

I looked around where I stood, but I didn't see him. _Where'd he go? _There were people surrounding me in every direction that I couldn't even see the exit.

"Hananzo-san," someone called. I turned around and a stranger stood behind me.

_Taku- No…That's not him. _The man appeared…_normal_, missing that charming aura that the other vampires here possessed. But like the rest, he was formally dressed in a black tuxedo, his dark blonde hair swept back and his fangs protruding from behind his lips as he displayed a distrustful smile.

"Who are you?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously. _I don't like him. _

"_My_ name is not of importance. But Shirabuki-sama's _is_," he responded. "And she requests to meet you."

"I'm sorry. You have the wrong person." I brushed him off and turned around to walk away, getting back to finding Takuma. But he seized my wrist before I even took a step.

"I assure you that I did not make a mistake," he sneered, his eyes exhibiting malevolent intentions. "You _are_ Ichijo's human pet." A cold shiver ran down my spine and I froze in place. _How does he…What's going on…?_

"Let go of me," I ordered in a voice smaller than I had anticipated, intimidated by his daunting presence. I tried pulling free, but his grip only tightened. His other hand then grabbed me by my shoulder, and he dragged me with him away from the crowd. I tried pulling away, locking my legs to prevent him from budging me, but he was too strong. All my efforts were futile.

"If you don't cooperate, I'll have to bring you to her in pieces," he warned, losing patience with my resisting. He scowled at me, his wicked smile replaced with irritation. Any human and I would've retaliated to such a threat, but not him. There was nothing _human_ about him. He was a monster, and I quietly but reluctantly allowed him to lead me through the mansion.

The doors to the terrace were open, and the lights were dimly lit where a few guests mingled outside in the open air. We took the steps down from the platform and approached the entrance to an enormous maze garden that was part of the property. We entered the vast botanical structure and an unsettling sensation arose within me. I wasn't afraid of losing my way in the never-ending labyrinth. I was always good with puzzles. It was what awaited me at the end that worried me. From the narrow path of evergreen hedges, a faintly illuminated gazebo was visible. My heart throbbed against my chest as we neared, anxiety and fear dripping from me like sweat. _Who is Shirabuki? What does this person want with me? Regardless, I need to find Takuma somehow. How careless was I to get lost in the first place? I shouldn't have told him to let go. God, I'm so stupid sometimes! I-_

An elegant figure sitting below the gazebo came into sight as we drew nearer and nearer. It was a woman in a blue European dress. Her long blonde curls fell along her back and over her shoulders at the front. She remained seated as we approached with her hands gracefully placed in her lap. The unnatural beauty she possessed felt like it even surpassed that of nobles. _Can it be…that she is a pureblood like Kaname and Yuki? _I stood before her but I couldn't say anything.

"Yoshika Hananzo," she spoke once the man let go of me. "I've _read_ so much about you."

_She…'read'…?_ I stared back at this mysterious woman, perplexed and yet curious. The lump in my throat finally disappeared and I hesitantly asked, "Who are you?" An unexpected smile spread over her face. She stood up and glided towards me, her arms by her side, gloved from the tip of her fingers to her elbows.

"Takuma wrote so much about you," she said, eyeing me from head to toe as she circled around. She stopped in front of me, bringing her hands to my face and brushing my bangs aside as she continued, "And yet…has he never mentioned me? How disappointing." Jitters ran through my body as I refused to break my gaze from hers.

_She knows him…and she's a pureblood. Is it possible that she's…_ "You're Sara…aren't you?" My voice quivered as I asked.

"Oh, so he _has_ spoken of me," she responded in her soft voice. "I presume that he didn't speak very fondly of me." I didn't reply.

_So this is Sara…She seems so elegant…So gorgeous…And so spoiled._

"What's wrong?" she then inquired, her golden flocks swaying as she tilted her head to the side a little. "Is my presence such an intimidation? Please…" She began walking around the small garden, looking at the bushes and flowers. "You have nothing to be afraid of. I just want to talk." Her assurance was of no comfort and my uneasiness did not subside.

"Tell me," she continued. "Were you thrilled to see him return to you?"

"What…?"

"Takuma…Were you _thrilled_ to see him again?"

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," I told her, confused by her question.

"Don't play games with me," she hissed, suddenly appearing in front of me. She studied the bewildered visage hanging over me and the poised composure she had before resurfaced. "I see now," she then said, her venomous eyes piercing through mine. "I see the _holes_ in your mind…and your soul. Well, that must've been discouraging for him." She turned away again. "Tell me then, Yoka…" Goose bumps traversed up my arms and down my legs upon hearing her call me by that name. "Did Takuma ever tell you what happened when he was with me all that time?"

"He was your slave," I answered, slowly regaining my courage. She brought her hand over her mouth as she chuckled to herself. _This woman…She's crazy…!_

"Slave?" she then repeated with amusement. "No…Takuma wasn't my slave. He was my _bitch_." Her tone abruptly altered as she made that last comment. Her little innocent act wore off and the malevolence within her oozed from her words. "He did _anything_ I wanted him to. He was my living _puppet,_ and he will _always_ be _my_ puppet." I felt my courage sink back to the pits of my stomach. "His annoying little crush on you felt almost impossible to rid of. And I hated it. I hated _you_." Her voice was hostile while her appearance remained collected. "The stupid look in his eyes as he went on through the day, thinking about you. He didn't even know that I noticed, always trying to hide you from me. His thoughts and his emotions were so predictable that it almost seemed pathetic."

"If you think so little of him, why are you reclaiming him?" I retorted back, frustrated by her arrogance.

"Because part of me is in him. He's _my_ toy, and I don't share with others."

_How can someone of her supreme status be so self-centered and so naïve…? And yet…How can I be so content with knowing so little about the man I have come to love so easily?_

"What do you mean…'part' of you is in him…?" I choked those words out from my throat, fearing the answer to the question yet drawn to what she had to reveal.

"_Exactly_ what it means." She gave a small pleased grin. "Like God, I raised him from the ashes. My blood was his salvation…and it _will_ be his fate. You see…I could easily force Takuma to do as I say without even lifting a finger. But I don't need to." Her smile grew even wider as she plucked one of the roses from a bush. "He will always do as I say even if he denies it. And no matter how far he runs, he will always come back to me. Serving me…and loving _me_ is what flows through his veins now." My hands were clutching on to my dress, not out of fear but infuriation. Her caustic words felt like knives, but I knew they were only there to provoke me.

"You're threatened by me, aren't you?" I told her, no longer cowering away.

"What did you say?" she responded, taken aback by my response.

"You're just jealous that I don't need to resort to force to have him come back to me. You can't _force_ someone to love you." She scoffed at me, waving away what I said like flies.

"You think what he feels for you is love?" she laughed to herself, tossing the rose to the ground. "How can you call it love when in the midst of all your despair over him, he was in bed with me, fondling my breasts?" I felt my brain completely shut down as I stared blankly at her, unable to move a single muscle.

_What…is she saying…?_

"What's wrong?" she asked with the same delighted smile from before. "Did you really think Takuma could resist a pureblood?"

"Stop it," I implored under my breath.

"He _lusted_ for me…"

"Stop it."

"And like any other man, he gave in to his temptations..."

"Stop it!"

"And he _fucked. Me. HARD-"_

"STOP IT!" I screamed, covering my ears with my hands, trying to shut her words out. It was cliché to say, but with every beat, my heart cracked, until it shattered into a million pieces. I fought back the tears that overwhelmed me as I brought my hands to my mouth, resisting my urge to scream. _It's funny…How when you're in love…just the right words can tear you apart in an instant. And Sara…Tonight, she picked the right words._ I could hardly stand. All I wanted to do was lock myself in my room and curl up in a ball in the corner, so that nobody could hear my cries and see my pain. As much as I hated to see Sara win, I had nothing left to say to her.

I wasn't sure exactly how it happened, but after I heard Sara's last word, I felt a tiny part of my mind unlock. And an old, innate – but familiar – sense of betrayal and anger began to engulf me…And it was all because of Takuma. But all my sorrowing came to an abrupt stop when her poisonous voice reached my ears again.

"I see I've made my point," she concluded, reveling in the moment. "Takuma belongs to me, and I won't tolerate interference in our 'relationship' anymore." She took her spot back under the wooden structure in the center, bringing one of her legs over the other in a sophisticated manner. "Especially from _you_. I know I said you had nothing to be afraid of, but…I lied." She wasn't sneering, but the apathetic look she carried was deathly. My body stiffened and my breaths became dead silent. "To think that he would even _consider_ a human, such as you, repulses me. You stole from me, and now…I'm going to return the favor." She gave a small nod and the man that had brought me to her grabbed me from behind. He latched his hand across my chest and on my shoulder with the other on my neck under my jaw, exposing my veins. I wanted to scream as he breathed onto my skin, hovering over my pulsing blood vessels. But I couldn't. I hurt too much on the inside that for that brief moment, I didn't care if I died. I didn't cry. I didn't squirm. All I did was bite down on my lower lip and shut my eyes when the tip of his fangs pierced into my flesh.

_Just as I had said to Takuma…At times, life…can be so cruel…_


	19. All Roses Have Thorns

**I don't own VK.**

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[Yoka's POV]

_I see something…It's…like a light…at the end of a tunnel._ I looked down at my feet, but I didn't see anything, just the never-ending darkness. _I feel…weightless._ The small bright light at the end drew closer to me, and I could hear the faint calling of my name. _Am I…dead…? Is this…heaven?_ As I got closer, my name became louder. And then I was completely immersed in the whiteness.

My eyes slowly opened and I saw Rima and Yuki, facing me. I felt so weary, barely able to keep my eyes open but somehow, I managed to smile a little.

"Just like before, huh…?" I said to Rima. "I wake up and here you are…" Both of them exhaled a breath of relief and smiled. I noticed that I wasn't wearing my dress anymore. My body was in a comfortable silk nightgown as I lay in an unfamiliar bed. I looked around me, seeing furniture that I've never seen before in a room that I've never been in. "Am…I in a hospital?" I asked.

"Ha!" Rima blurted out. "Do hospitals have European curtains and a fireplace? We're in one of the guestrooms in Yuki's house." She took a seat next to me on the bed. Then I felt the pressure of something poking into me. That was when I noticed the needle sticking into my arm with a long slender tube travelling from the other end to a blood bag, hanging by the bed.

"What's…this…?" I reached over to try and touch my arm, but Yuki placed her hand over mine.

"It's okay," she said, her auburn eyes, bringing a sense of comfort. "You lost a lot of blood, so it's just a few transfusions. But you'll be okay."

"Blood…?" I murmured. Sudden images of a garden of rose bushes and that elegant yet evil smile of that _woman _appeared in my mind. I stared emptily at them with my face abruptly covered in distress, and I hastily brought my hand to my neck, feeling the bandage over my skin. "What happened?" I panicked. "Am I a vampire?"

"Calm down," Yuki tried comforting. "You didn't turn. It's okay." She kept her hand over mine, trying to give me a sense of security.

"Whoever bit you wasn't a purelood," Rima then mentioned. "So you're good. But he – or she – took a loooot of blood. If we came a minute later, you'd probably be dead."

_I didn't turn…good._ I looked up at the ceiling, resting my hand over my heaving chest as I closed my eyes for a little bit. _As much as I accept what my friends are, I never want to be like them. Never._ Once pacified, I carefully sat up, placing a pillow behind me to support my back with their help. "I haven't been out long, have I?" I asked, taking the cup of tea that Rima handed to me.

"Just two days," Yuki answered. "You recovered faster than expected."

"Yep! And Yuki and I never left your side," Rima proudly put in. "Ruka and Akatsuki came to visit this morning, but you weren't awake yet, and Kaname brought them with him to a council meeting. What happened that evening caused quite a stir among the hunters."

"Even Hanabusa is here," Yuki added, smiling brightly. "He was just too shy to come in, so he's waiting in the living room."

"I see," I said, looking down at the warm cup of tea in my hands, smiling meekly. _They all came…Even Aidou. What about…him…? _I was happy that I had friends that were there for me when I needed them, but even so…I was sad. I then looked up at the both of them and asked, "How did you guys find me?"

"Ruka was able to locate you," Rima replied, setting her mug on the small table beside the bed. "And well…Takuma took care of the rest. He kinda' overreacted if you ask me."

"What do you mean?" I asked back, sounding a little worried. "What did he do?" She gave a small laugh and grinned as she got up and moved to the window, thrusting the curtains open.

"Take a look," she proposed, moving aside. I leaned forward a little, to get a better glimpse, and I saw… _nothing_ but the gazebo. "That's what's left of the backyard," she said as I gaped in shock at the naked land. The maze that once stood before no longer existed. Where there grew bushes and roses, now rested crumbled leaves and twigs. Where grass once flourished, was now inhabited by dirt. It was like the hedges crumbled into dust, and all of Mother Nature touching it died with it.

"What…how is this…" I was so confounded by the scene.

"Possible?" Rima finished for me. She was gazing out at the garden, still grinning to herself as if impressed by the sight of such _emptiness_. "As nobles, we all have our nifty tricks," she continued, flicking one of her orange pigtails back. "I'm sure you've seen me abuse my ability with electricity more than once. You see, all of us have something up our sleeves. And so does Takuma. Unlike the rest of us, he doesn't enjoy using his _gift_ that much – only when he's desperate. And that night…" She crossed her arms, leaning against the window pane. "He was _very_ desperate."

_Desperate…looking for me?_

"Takuma…has a more _interesting_ trick." She began to get excited on the inside. "He disintegrates matter, breaking the form apart, decomposing it. If you don't see it on a molecular scale, you'll think that whatever he's touching is dying…Which is what the backyard looks like right now. It's a sight to see, isn't it? And I don't even know if he went all out or not. Who would've thought…that someone as sweet as him harbored such a dreadful power?" She then came over to me and plopped down on the bed. "But thanks to him, we were able to find you in time without going through that _annoying_ maze." She turned to Yuki and said to the side, "I always hated it by the way."

_Yet another thing he never told me…It's funny how he wants me to remember but holds back so much…Like he's selecting just the good things about him for me to see. _"What happened to…Sara and the vampire that was with her?"

"They got away right when the last leaf fell," Rima replied with contempt. "The bitch exploded into a bunch of bats with that little _pussy_ of hers and fluttered away. Psh! How cliché." She rolled her eyes and looked out the window.

"Oh…I see…" I said under my breath.

"But screw Sara!" Rima suddenly exclaimed. "I bet you're dying to see, Takuma, aren't you?"

"He's…here…?" I stared back at her, completely caught off guard.

"Well of course! He never left your side. He sat in that very spot, watching over you the entire time." I glanced at the armchair in front of the fire that she was pointing at.

_So he was always with me…_

"He left a little before you woke up though to get a change of clothes. I can give him a call-"

"NO!" I burst out. She and Yuki looked back at me oddly, not expecting such a reaction.

"You…sure you don't want me to call?" Rima asked to clarify.

I shook my head and repeated, almost pleading, "No…Don't call."

"Yoka," Yuki then said. "What's wrong?"

I couldn't answer her. _What's wrong...? Everything…Everything about him! _What happened…What Sara said…They were like leeches, latched onto my mind and sucking the sanity out of me. If I shut my eyes, I could still see. If I covered my ears, I could still hear. I remembered every detail. It was like a film replaying in my brain over and over again, and it wouldn't stop. Ever since I woke up, it's been playing in the background, constantly provoking me. I felt warmth spread over my hand, and I saw Yuki holding on to me. She watched me closely once I looked up at her, and I noticed the single tear on my cheek that had escaped from my eye.

"What happened in the maze?" Yuki asked in a quiet voice.

"Did Sara say something to you?" Rima followed on. At the moment, it was as if the two of them could see right through me like glass. I should tell them. That was what they were here for – to help me. But I didn't want to. I didn't want to tell them of what I found out. I didn't want them to know what I remembered.

Can…" I couldn't even find the nerve to say it. "Can I…be alone for a moment?" They appeared worried and glanced at each other.

"Sure," Yuki reluctantly said, with a smile I could barely see. Rima gave me one last look of concern before closing the door behind them.

_Is it wrong of me to keep things from them?_ I laid down back in bed, bringing my legs towards me, so that my knees were against my chest. Sara's words hurt, but it wasn't what they said. It was what they implied – that even after all this time…all the times he said 'no more lies'…was in fact…a _lie_. I just thought that if he loved me so much, why would he still keep such things from me? And that was when I remembered...the last time I asked the exact same thing to myself… years ago. At the core of all the confusion and frustration from what she was saying, part me just 'clicked'. I didn't remember everything. Just the sleepless nights of me locking myself in the bathroom of my dorm, crying and hurting till it exhausted me. And I felt something. All the painful emotions Yuki helped me suppress revealed themselves. I felt betrayed…abandoned…and angry. _Six years ago, he said he loved me, but he just left me there. What if the others weren't able to protect all the students? What if the vampires had gotten through the doors…and I was killed? Did he even think about that?_ Two nights ago, I found out why he was so hesitant when we talked about Sara and what he kept from me. And now, I honestly didn't care if he slept with her or not. I didn't care who he slept with. I cared that if it really did happen, I had to hear it from her…and not him. _My mind and my memories are not a toy for anyone to play with. Nobody gets to choose what it is that I get to remember. If this is a little bit of the whole truth my mind withholds, then I don't want to remember the rest of it. I'm done. I detest him…because he gave me hope, and he took it away. That's the first memory I regained back…and it will be the last._ I wrapped my arms around my pillow, curling myself in a ball as I buried my face into it, soaking the cotton with my tears. _This is the last time I'm going to cry over him. No more…_

xxx

[Ichijo's POV]

"No…Don't call," I overheard her voice say as I leaned against the wall in the hall.

_Why did she stop her? Her voice…sounds unsettling. She knows something._

"Did Sara say something to you?" I clutched my hand on the keys in my pocket, feeling my jaw clench from the question and the moment of silence. _That's it…She knows…_

Then I caught her response, "Can…Can I be...alone for a moment?" My chest tightened, straining my breaths, and my throat went dry. I immediately stood upright and started walking down the hall. I didn't know if I'd trip from going so fast as my legs went numb and so did my heart. I could no longer hear its beating, neither could I feel it. My mind couldn't concentrate. Everything felt like gibberish. I didn't even know what I was going to do next. But this emotion that I felt…was familiar. It was the same feeling that I had when she found out what I was and ran from me – this same feeling of rejection. _Not again_.

"Takuma!" I heard my name. I didn't stop though. I was too focused on the idea that she _knew_. _Sara…told her…This wasn't how it was suppose to be. "I" was suppose to tell her, to explain to her…and she was suppose to understand! She was suppose to see that I loved her and only her! I kept it from her because if she didn't remember her feelings for me, she would never accept what I've done. _And that was when I realized what my greatest fear was. _I always thought that there was no one else I was more scared of than Sara because of all that she held over me. But that's a lie. The one person that I fear the most is the one person that I want more than anyone else. I fear for her sadness and her pain. But most of all…I fear her rejection. _Rima suddenly yanked me by the arm once the two of them caught up and pushed me to the wall.

"Sorry," she apologized. "But you didn't stop. What the hell's wrong with you? Didn't you hear us?"

"Takuma, when did you get back?" Yuki asked. There was no response from me.

"Wait…" Rima said, "Were you…listening outside?" She observed me intently, carefully watching for any sign of an answer show on my face. I kept my gaze away from them, too ashamed to even look them in the eye.

"Was I stupid…to think that things would go back to the way they were?" I muttered, having to choke the words out.

"No…You weren't being stupid," Rima answered, sympathetically. "Things _can_ go back to the way they were."

"You can't give up," Yuki also tried convincing. "Yoka's just…confused. Sara must've said something to her."

"Yeah, come on! It's Sara! She probably made up some lie to brainwash her," Rima agreed.

_Lie? Sara? No…Sara may be cruel and conceited. But she never lied. _I pushed Rima's hand off of me and stepped out from being cornered by them. Then I turned to them and said before walking away, "Sara didn't lie. She told her the truth of what happened, and what I did. So actually, I was the one that pushed her away when I was just trying to hold on to her for as long as I could."

They didn't respond back or come after me. I didn't expect them to, knowing that nothing they said or did would convince me to turn around. I placed my hands in my pockets, hiding the sight of them shaking. There were no tears, as they were not enough to wash away the sadness, disappointment, and regret that plastered on to me. _I deceived her…kept things from her…I tried to control her, only showing her what I wanted her to remember me as. In a sense…I'm just like Sara...Selfish! No matter what I think or how I phrase it, ultimately…I wronged her…again._ Once I reached my car, I stopped, holding on to the handle of the door. I looked at myself from the reflection of my window, and I turned away in disgust. _Before I disappeared, I made her a promise…that I would never leave her, that I'd protect her from ever getting hurt again._ _But in the end, I'm the one that hurt her the most._ I sat in my car, still parked on the Kuran's driveway, giving the mansion one last look before I started the engine, knowing what I needed to do next. _Now…To stop breaking her heart…To protect her, I have to rid her world of anyone that can cause her suffering, including me. _

xxx

Akatsuki and Ruka opened the door to Kaname's study room, seeing their friend resting at the chess table in front of the fire. He quietly shut the door and approached him, Ruka following by his side.

"Kaname," Kain spoke.

"You asked for us?" Ruka continued. The two of them looked at the chess board with pieces scattered all over and a small dagger pierced through the spot where the ebony-colored queen stood. Kaname ran his hand through his dark black hair as he gazed into the fire, seemingly unaware of their presence. The two became almost restless from his silence.

"The hunters and the council are meeting tonight to discuss the fate of the Shirabuki family. I want you two to come with me," he then briefed them.

"What more is there to discuss?" Ruka remarked. "If we keep playing by the rules, Sara's going to make a move before we even do! She was going to kill Yoka if we hadn't come. If we don't get rid of her now, she'll probably try it again. And if Yoka gets killed…You don't know _what_ Takuma will do!"

"But I do know what he's going to do," the pureblood responded, looking up at her, not a single emotion leaking. She stared back at him, surprised by his response.

"What're you talking about, Kaname?" Akatsuki asked, also taken aback.

"He confronted me about Yoka's invitation," he then started to explain, staring aimlessly. "And I told him exactly what he _didn't_ want to hear. The truth is never kind, and he finally learnt that. When he stood before me, I could feel what he felt…His concerns, his despair, but most of all…the rage that formed from all his guilt." He then looked down at the chess pieces on the table. "Sara won't make another move…" He picked up the ivory knight and placed it in front of the lone-standing, black queen. "...Because her twisted, little game…will end _very_ soon."

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**Thanks for reading :)**


	20. A Bitter Win

**Sorry for updating later than expected. This chapter was harder to write than I originally anticipated. Thanks for all the reviews and ****hits. They're a great support. And as always, enjoy!**

**I don't own VK**

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Two of the maids followed her as Sara strolled through the garden. She knelt down to the yellow daisies, barely touching the flowers. Her lips suddenly formed a pleased smile.

"It seems that we have a visitor," she remarked, standing up. She turned to the servants and ordered, "Bring him to the northern living room." The women gave a respectful bow and left as she went over to the purple dianthuses. She plucked one of the flowers and brought it to her nose, gracefully sniffing its sweet scent. She couldn't stop smiling to herself. The thought of him being here teased her immensely, feeding her ego even more. She then began walking back to the mansion, bringing her hand out to let the wind carry the flower away.

xxx

"I knew you'd crawl back to me sooner or later," Sara smirked once she entered the living room. She went over to the piano where Takuma waited. "But I was almost certain that you'd be groveling by your precious human's side instead," she put in. Silence permeated the room as he once again did not respond to her. He continued to stray away from her scornful gaze, losing his focus on the dustless white keys of the piano. Patience began to wane, but then she saw the black coat he held over his arm and the all-black suit he wore. "You're dressed rather gloomy today. What's the occasion?" she asked, curling her golden flocks with her finger. "Am I that depressing to be around?"

"I came from a funeral," he spoke, his vacant eyes finally set on her face.

"Funeral?" she responded with a hint of surprise.

"Yoka…she died," he then said, his visage, sapped of any emotion.

"Impossible!" Sara quickly denied. "She was still breathing when we left her."

"Your _dog_ ripped her jugular," he continued. "She bled to death." In a blink, she appeared right in front of him with her hand securely fastened around his throat.

"You know well lying to me won't work. I can _make_ you tell me the truth," she warned, glowering at him carefully. "Now tell me…Is she _dead_…?" He stared back at her intently, not flinching at all from her intimidation, and then, he reached his hand up, taking grasp of her wrist.

"Yoka's dead," he declared once again, taking her clutch off of him. She retracted her arm, breaking their gaze.

"Well…" Her pleasant appearance reemerged from her face. "I guess there's no need to continue this little game of torment then…" She took several steps away, sauntering around aimlessly. She then looked at him again and asked, sounding boastful, "So your precious lover is dead. What are you coming to see me for? Are you not at all angry of what I did? Are you here to seek vengeance? Because if you are, I can assure you that that won't end well on your part." She watched him closely, keeping her guard. Takuma set his coat on the piano and unbuttoned his jacket, revealing the black vest inside.

"Vengeance? No…Angry? Yes… But regardless of how much animosity I have over you, it doesn't change the fact that she's gone…and I have no one else…" he replied, earnestly.

"What about Kuran...Or that rowdy Touya girl...? There are so many that you could've gone to instead," she questioned back, suspicious of his intentions.

"Everybody I know only heeds to one…Kaname, and he uses those around him like pawns…"

"What makes you think I won't also use you like a pawn?"

"Because if you dispose of me so quickly, you won't find another _toy_ like me." He could see a nerve in her twitch even when her appearance remained collected as ever. She looked down at the floor, smiling to herself as she walked around.

"I guess you know me better than I expected," she commented. "But I do wonder…What guarantees me that you won't escape again like the last time?"

"Because this time I've learned…That no matter where I go, I am always enslaved by you. I am yours after all, am I not?" Sara continued to smile to herself as she drew closer to him, pleased to hear such a response.

"So you're willing to throw away everything…" She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, sliding her fingertips over to his chest. "…Obey all my commands…" Her hand reached down his abdomen and tugged at his belt. "…Fulfill all my _desires_...and stay by my side forever?" She looked deep into his eyes, seeing the hope he use to have struggle to sustain itself as desolation infected him. Every ounce of anguish spreading through his body delighted her even more.

She felt the resistance in his muscles as they stiffened and the apprehension in his tone when he replied, "…Yes…" She tilted her head in a child-like manner, observing him with fake innocence.

"Sorry," she then replied. "But I'm not going to believe you that easily." She took his tie and loosened it. "You say I'm all you have left. I want you to _prove_ it."

"Prove it...?"

"Pleasure me." She noticed his jaw clench as he stared at her, caught off guard.

"How…does that prove anything…?" he muttered.

"It proves _everything_," she responded, giving off a doubtful vibe. "When I told Yoka about that little 'sleepover' we had, she had _no idea_…because you didn't tell her." A tiny grin grew on her face. "You were scared of how she'd react. Well…now that she's gone, there's no more shame in what you did and what you _will_ do in the future, unless…you're lying about being mine. In that case, I could just _force_ you like I did before. But that would just negate the point we're trying to make and take away all the fun." He shifted in place uneasily, shying away from her. She let go of him and then concluded as she turned around to walk away, "Just as I thought…Nothing but lies." He took her hand before she stepped away.

"Wait," he uttered to her. "If this…is your request…then I'll do it." Her grin spread even wider from hearing his words.

She brought herself to him, reaching up to his face as she brushed her poisonous lips against his ear, sending chills down his spine, and she whispered, "I'll be waiting. You still remember where my bedroom is, don't you?" He gave her a soft nod, and without another sound, she left him in the living room.

[Ichijo's POV]

I took a deep breath, seeing that I was finally alone. My hand rubbed over my taut neck, trying to relieve the tension built up inside me. I went over to the wooden clock, trying to admire the marvelous craftsmanship of the wood to distract myself but failing.

"What am I doing here?" I thought, wiping my hand over my face. I tried resting my eyes, recuperating them from the lack of sleep. _It seems crazy coming back here…But it's something that I need to do…Something that I want to do…_I then took off my tie and unbuttoned my vest. _I shouldn't keep her waiting…_

xxx

Takuma remembered exactly where her bedroom was. It was the one room on the entire estate that he dreaded the most to be in – the one place he wished to never step foot in again. But here he was, standing before the doors to her chamber where the devil herself awaited. The room was faintly lit with the curtains shut, preventing any light from the outside from seeping through. He glanced at the bed first but found it empty. Entering inside, he saw Sara sitting by the vanity table, brushing her long hair. She wore a purple robe that flaunted her unnatural pureblood beauty even more. With each step he took, his heart throbbed harder. He went over to the bed first, and set his trench coat and jacket on top of the pillow. She got up, her undone robe revealing the slender curves of her near-perfect body. His pulse was racing now as she moved in on him. Her skin was cold to the touch when she caressed his cheek. His breath trembled and his eyes evaded hers.

"Still can't let her go…" she softly said.

"No…" He took her hand still by his face, firmly holding on to it. "Just thinking of what my next move is…" He leaned closer to her, his eyes focused on her glistening lips only a breath away and he delicately said, "How's this…?" An ecstatic heat traversed from her mouth down her neck and through her body as his lips melted with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. He returned the gesture, almost teasing her, arousing her even more. He hastily tore her robe off, casting it aside while she undid the buttons of his shirt, gripping the muscles that were hidden underneath. He broke his mouth from hers, gasping for oxygen and looked into her possessed eyes, seeing the lust and salacity that was consuming her. Takuma could feel her hand by his waist and his pants slipping down his legs and onto the ground. Unable to wait a second longer, Sara crushed her lips against his, forcing off his vest and then his shirt and taking his hand to place on her thigh. With her hands on his face, locking him deeper into the kiss, he hitched her up, her legs enclosed around his waist. Their mouths didn't separate as they touched the soft cushioning of the mattress. Instead, their movements became more deliberate and more ferocious. He moved along from her lips to her neck whilst his hand groped her breasts, making her gasp. She tugged at his briefs, trying to slip them off, but his hand ceased her from continuing.

"Not yet," he droned to her, his heavy breaths panting against her face. "Be patient." To his surprise, she obeyed and brought her hand to his biceps, feeling up to his shoulder and then the back of his neck. Her skin was burning with the electric sensation of his touch as he pressed his body harder against hers. He moved in between her legs, running his hand down her stomach. He could hear her moan when he sank his teeth into the flesh of her neck, pleasuring her even more as the scent of her own blood intoxicated her. Her body screamed for more when she saw the red luster in his eyes as she brought her hand up to his lips which dripped with crimson. Their faces drew towards each other again, and she licked the blood off his lips, savoring the taste while her tongue welded against his. A little nip and a tiny burst of his blood kindled her taste buds. Though drowned with ecstasy, she noticed an abnormal taste in her mouth once he began kissing her neck where blood remained from where he bit.

"Your blood…" she spoke, out of breath. "It's…different." He didn't respond, but continued with his affections. "This blood…It's Kan –" Her voice suddenly choked and he tightened his grip on her throat, crushing her trachea as he firmly held onto the blade that protruded from her side and pierced into her heart.

"Yes," he then told her to her ear. "I castrated your chains over me." For the first time her always elegant face, contorted with shock and disbelief. "I will never be yours, Sara." And after the last spoken word, he shoved the blade completely through her heart, breaking her ribcage. She tried to cry out but no sound could escape. She wanted to fling her arms and legs, to do anything to defend herself, but she couldn't find the energy as her blood suffocated her lungs, her nerves went numb and her heart ceased in beating. He watched the light blue of her eyes dull and her blonde hair begin to pale as the last ounce of life drifted away from her corpse.

[Ichijo's POV]

I sat on the edge of the bed with my elbows on my knees and my hands over my face. A faint chuckle came about me, and I leaned back, looking up at the ceiling, unable to stop grinning to myself. But what seemed like joy was just anguish. I looked over my shoulder at Sara's body sprawled on the bed, crystallizing. _She's…finally dead…_I stood up and picked up my clothes strewn all over the floor. With my belt fastened around my waist and my vest buttoned up, I went over to her corpse.

"Even in death purebloods still retain such beauty," I muttered to myself, gazing at her figure from head to toe. _Her greed and her vanity were what exposed her to her forthcoming death. _With ease, I yanked the steel out from her side and her crystallized body shattered like glass. There was barely any blood on the metal, most of it having disintegrated along with her body. It was only a small blade, not even the length of a twelve inch ruler. _This was the last thing grandfather passed down to me - the only anti-vampire weapon that our family could wield. It's been with me for so long…Taken so many lives. _He then flipped the blade over to the blunt end that looked like it was broken off from a sword. _Too bad it was too long. Took me a while, but I was eventually able to break a piece off. _My coat and jacket were still on the pillow where I had placed them. I took my trench coat, where I initially had hid the weapon, and took out the pair of black leather gloves in one of the pockets before tossing it back on the bed. I rolled up my sleeves to right above my elbows and slipped my hands into the gloves. _Black…The good thing about this depressing color is that you can't see the blood stains._ The sun was setting once I peeked out from behind the curtains. I then ripped a long piece of the fabric and wrapped it around the dull end of the blade. The red glow still lingered in my eyes, and I didn't want it to fade…because the hunt was just beginning.

xxx

I strolled down the hall, blood splattered on the walls and drapes and piles of ashes and clothes on the ground. I stepped over the broken lamp on the floor as I walked down the stairs, finding my way to the kitchen. There wasn't a single scratch on me just the scent of blood of a dozen strangers – all of them subordinates of Sara's. Blood tarnished the lamp shade on the side table and smothered the European couch with ashes on it and the butler's torn, empty suit in the living room I met Sara in. The kitchen was empty with unfinished chopped vegetables, defrosting meat, and dishes in the sink and on the counters. _I guess I interrupted them in their dinner preparations. _I went straight to the stove and turned the gas on all the way.

The dust of the corpse of one of the maids that had escorted me on my arrival was on the carpet in the other hall. I remembered her clearly:

_She slammed into the wall of the hall, her hand over the wound on her neck, glancing up in horror as I wiped away the blood that dripped from my mouth and came after her. The apathetic look in my eyes terrified her even more as she scrambled up to start running again. She came to a sudden halt, slipping on to the ground when I suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her way. Her hair was a mess and her face was covered in sweat and tears._

"_Please!" she cried out to me. "Please don't kill me! I didn't do anything!" _

"_I know," I responded, in a sweet tone that gave her goose bumps. "But you have her blood in you." I raised my blade and she screamed from the bottom of her lungs. And with one swing, I silenced her. _

The door to the study room was open when I passed by. I stopped and saw the two chairs at the center of the room in front of the fireplace. One of the chairs was covered with ashes and dripped with blood. Ropes, wooden stakes, and clothes were on the ground surrounding it along with the broken blade of my sword. I went over to the desk in the room, opening the small box that revealed rolls of fine Cuban cigars. I took the cutter and sliced the end off of one of them, and then I looked up at the chairs again. _His_ death…I would _never_ forget:

"_Gaaah!" he screamed through clenched teeth as I stabbed the fourth stake into his left thigh. Blood oozed from the stakes in his shoulders and legs while his pale face dripped with cold sweat. He sat in the chair, his limbs missing. His breaths were heavy and quivered with pain and terror. _

"_You kinda' look like me," I said, my red stained eyes looking back at him. "Sara really is like a selfish little girl." He could barely open his left eye as he panted, desperately trying to regenerate his wounds. "But I would think that she'd pick a noble rather than just a normal vampire." _

"_Who…the fuck…are you…?" he asked, hardly able to speak from the pain._

"_I am your judgment," I answered, leaning towards him in my chair, seated right in front of him. _

"_Judgment...? For what?"_

"_For even setting your filthy eyes on that human at the council's ball." _

"_So you're Ichijo," he sneered. "Her blood was so tasty, you know? She didn't even squirm when I-" He let out a painful cry, biting down on his tongue when I thrust the blade into his chest, careful enough to pierce through the bone but barely touching the heart. Tears streamed from his face as blood drooled from his mouth. His blood spattered across my face, but I didn't even blink. _

"_You normals should learn your place in the hierarchy," I advised him in a rather tranquil voice that made me almost seem like a sociopath. I looked down at his legs, seeing his limbs were beginning to heal. "I guess I'll have to end this faster than I wanted. Don't worry. I'll make sure to leave a mark on your heart to remember me by. But first, let's take out that heart." The room filled with his dying screams and the air saturated with his blood._

I walked to the front entrance, a cigar in my hand and a lighter in the other.

"What a disgusting habit," I mumbled to myself as I lit up the roll and took one puff. I set the still burning cigar on the center table and walked out the front doors. My car was parked at the front gate of the property, a good distance away from the actual house. I closed my door once I got in and watched as the Shirabuki's manor exploded and engulfed in flames. I took off my gloves, revealing my hands stained with the blood that had seeped through the leather. Then I ran my fingers through my hair, smearing the dried red on it, but I didn't care. Nothing seemed to matter anymore.

_I thought that by killing Sara and all those related to her in any way was what I wanted…That it would make me feel better. But why is it that after all the carnage and damage…I still feel so hollow inside? _I looked in the mirror of my car, seeing that my eyes were finally green once again, yet the stench of blood still followed me. _Was it worth it? Killing them all? Some were innocent…They were manipulated by Sara, forced to obey her commands. Nonetheless, I drained them of their blood, and then I slayed them like cattle. I was a completely different person! It felt like five years ago all over again, when I slaughtered my way through that very same house. But unlike the last time, there were no second thoughts…No remorse. I sank to Sara's level, using deception and anger as my greatest weapons. I killed Sara to protect Yoka, and the others I killed just for the sake of killing. I'm not proud of what I did, neither can I justify it. I just thought that maybe, just maybe this would atone for my wrongs. Yet, like a fool who picked up all the pieces only to get a slap on the hand and spill it all over again, I just added on to the guilt. But to know that she can live in a world without the likes of Sara ever placing a finger on her again is enough for me to bear my sins. _

I loosened my tie, allowing my breaths to come and go more smoothly. Then I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

"Takuma?" Rima's voice screeched from the opposite line. "Where the _hell_ are you? I've been calling you for days! And you haven't been returning my messages!" I remained silent, staring at myself in the mirror with my lifeless eyes, hardly able to tell if I was still alive on the inside. "Takuma..?" I heard her say, becoming startled by the lack of response.

"Rima," I then said quietly, like I haven't spoken in days. "Please…Take care of yourself...and look after Yoka."

"What? –"

I removed the phone from my ear and hung up, drawing in a deep breath, unable to prevent that one tear from falling. _I'm doing the right thing…I'm keeping my promise...to keep her safe. I have to let her go._

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**Thanks for reading! Oh, and for the weak stomachs and faint of heart, sorry for the violence.**


	21. A Box of Memories

**I don't own VK.**

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Debris was everywhere. The once beautiful Shirabuki manor was now nothing but rubble and ash. Kaname looked around him, witnessing the extent of a foreseen output of rage. Akatsuki arrived by his side with a grave guise and his hands in his pockets.

"The explosion was caused by a gas leak from the stove," he informed, glancing from the toasted chair falling apart to the collapsed piano across from it. Kaname remained silent, kicking the charcoal beneath his feet.

"How many bodies?" he then asked, seeing Kaien Cross approach them.

"A dozen? I'm not sure," the chairman dubiously answered. "You know how it is when vampires die. They crumble into ashes…and in _this_ mess…It's impossible to tell if it was a body or just ashes from the fire…But purebloods are bit easier to identify." Kaname looked up at him, suddenly intrigued. Kaien pointed at an area on the east side from where they were. The three of them went over and saw the pile of sparkling sand scattered everywhere. Kaname knelt down, picking up a pinch of it to observe.

"Is it…Sara?" Akatsuki asked with hesitance.

"Which other pureblood besides her would be on this property," Kaien responded, staring intently at the glistening sparkles. "Kaname...What do you know about this?"

He stood up and then told the hunter, "I believe that my indirect actions may have been the little shove that he needed to have done all of this."

"He? Are you meaning Ichijo?" He didn't directly reply to him but noticed something of interest a distance away. "Kaname!" Kaien called out, following him to another section of the property. Kaname bent down and tossed the junk and pieces of wood aside, picking up the pointed end of a sword, seared with black from the flames. He dusted off the ashes and charcoal. "Do you recognize it?" Kaein asked, examining the steel.

"Of course," the pureblood responded. "I helped make it. It's a piece of the anti-vampire sword I gave to the Ichijo family."

"So it _was_ him," Akatsuki inferred.

"It would appear to be so," Kaname remarked, taking the piece of metal. "I guess giving him my blood benefitted him more than expected."

"Killing a pureblood…is a great taboo," Kaien mentioned. "And is…punishable by death."

"Weren't we going to do the same thing?" Kaname interjected. Kaein didn't argue. "He just beat us to it...Akatsuki. Have Senri and Rima found Takuma yet?"

"No." The answer wasn't pleasing to hear.

"Tell them to stop looking," he gave the simple command and walked back to the car.

xxx

[Yoka's POV]

Each time I glanced up at my students, I hoped to see him. But each time, I was met with disappointment. For the past week, I've been trying to redirect my life back to the way it was before I had ever met him. Every time I felt that I was making progress, someone would ask – whether it would be Alice or the girls in my class – someone would _always_ have to remind me of him, making me take two steps back.

_If I hate him so much, why do I still want him so bad?_ I couldn't answer that, but I also couldn't bring myself to see him again.

"Uh…professor?" I heard one of my students say to me. I turned to my class, seeing them staring at me. I found myself having paused for too long whilst writing on the chalkboard. I faced the board again, unable to think of my lesson plan.

"Um…" I didn't know where to continue. "Class…dismissed," was all I could say. Nobody questioned my strange behavior, and they all obediently listened. I set my glasses on my desk, sitting in my chair with my face in my hands. _What's wrong with me? I was perfectly fine yesterday and the day before._ There was a sudden knock on my door and I turned to see who it was.

"Class ended forty minutes early," Kaname remarked. "You don't look too well."

"Oh…Ya, it's just a little migraine," I told him, not wanting to make a fuss. It felt a bit awkward meeting him like this, since I've never been with him without Yuki by his side. "I didn't know you were dropping by," I directed the conversation to him.

"Well, I figured you'd be teaching, and I didn't want to interrupt."

"Oh…" He noticed me take a peek at the long, slender object wrapped in a cloth in his hand.

"This is actually for you," he then said, bringing it up to me. I took it, finding it heavier than expected and unwrapped the top of it, revealing the handle of a sword, and I looked up at him, confused.

"It's Takuma's," he then said. "I found it underneath the rubble of Sara's estate."

"Sara?" I quickly responded.

"He killed her with it," he then revealed, and I stared at him, eyes widening with shock.

"He…_killed_ her?" I muttered with disbelief.

"Is it so hard to believe that he would kill to protect the one he loves?"

_The one he loves? Not this again…_I didn't respond but continued to stare at him, overwhelmed by the news. I looked down at the sword in my hands, my grasp around it tightening as I said, "Why don't you just give it to him?"

"Well, I would if I knew where he was." He saw confusion cloud my face again and then continued, "Takuma's missing."

"What?" I shouted, showing more emotion than I wanted.

"The last time any of us had any contact with him was last week when he called Rima."

"What did he say?" I tried to calm my voice.

"He said his goodbye…" I almost dropped the sword when I heard him, feeling the energy of my arms vanish. My entire body felt weightless as I replayed all that I just heard.

Kaname looked at me, showing a bit of kindness and comfort in his auburn eyes that I've never seen before and then he said, "I know that you haven't seen him since the ball and that you have your reasons why..." He then gently placed his hand on my shoulder, leading me to my chair. "But I think you and I need to have a little talk about Takuma."

"Why?" I inquired, uncertain if I'd be able to hold myself together for such a discussion.

"Because as one of my most dearest of friends, he deserves at least this much from me."

xxx

The apartment was empty when I arrived home after leaving work earlier than usual. I closed the door to my bedroom, tossing my stuff on the armchair by the window. Lying in bed with my eyes closed, I held the sword close to me, feeling the roughness of the stitching integrated with the cold metal of the handle.

_Remember! Come on, REMEMBER! _My hands gripped so hard on the handle of the sword that I felt them shake. _Why can't I remember? Why did I only remember the suffering? If there was pain, there must've been happiness! It's because of all the joy and losing it that resulted in all this misery._ _But why can't it all just come back?_

[Flashback]

"_Have you looked for him?" I asked._

"_Senri and Rima cancelled all their shows and shoots for the past week just to look for him, but I told them to stop," Kaname said, leaning back in his seat. _

"_Why would you do that?" I questioned, hinting my disapproval._

"_Because if they couldn't find him by now, they'll never find him at all. Takuma's smart. He knows what we know, and if he doesn't want to be found by us, then he won't."_

"_Aren't you a pureblood? Can't you 'summon' him? Teleport? Fly? Or even turn into a bunch of bats, fly all over the world and find him?" I looked back at him with no intention of being humorous. But he smirked, even smiling a little. _

"_It's not as easy as you say…I'm not a god, you know," he replied. _

"_That's not what I hear," I mumbled to myself._

_He found my comment amusing again and brushed it away with another smirk. And then he leaned closer to me as if wanting to share a secret. "Out of all of us, only 'you' can find him." _

"_Me?" I didn't believe him. How could I find him if I didn't even remember him entirely?_

"_Takuma's our friend, but none of us really know much about him. He's not as open as everyone thinks he is." _

"_But I – I don't know – I–"_

"_But you do know. It's all still in there," he insisted and pointed at my head. "You just have to want it enough."_

[End of flashback]

"I want it!" I recited aloud. After hearing what Kaname had to tell me about all he knew – about Takuama's disappearance, the ball, Sara, and her murder – I didn't want my life to go back to the way it was. I didn't want him to be out of the picture. But even though I said it, the sense of distrust and betrayal still refused to release its grip. I kept repeating those three words to myself, but nothing happened. _It's not working. I'm trying so hard but I'm still so angry…and so scared…of what I might remember. I don't want to feel any more sadness. _

I looked up at the window, seeing that night had come. I had been lying in bed all day, staring blankly at Takuma's sword. The drawers to my dresser were all open, my clothes and my belongings scattered everywhere. The closet was open, the light on, and everything was out of place. I had dug through my entire room, searching for clues that would jog my memory or hint to me in any way of where he might be. But all my efforts were futile. I had nothing. At the end of the day, I was left tormented by doubt and desire. _I say I want to find him, and yet…after all that's happened, is that really what I want?_ Alice was at a friend's house, studying, and would be back any time. _I should clean up then…_I got out of bed, picking up my clothes and throwing them back into the drawers. Dragging my chair to the closet, I stepped on top to put the shoeboxes and miscellaneous documents on the top shelf. That was when I noticed a brown box that I had never seen before. It was placed at the very corner of the shelf, almost completely concealed and unnoticeable. I stepped on my tiptoes and brought it down. With a little sprinkle of dust, the box seemed like it was hardly ever opened once sealed.

"High school," I read aloud the label printed on the top before kneeling on the ground and opening it. There was a red ribbon inside, and I recognized it to be the exact same ones that the girls at the academy wore as part of their uniforms. I found an old diary of mine from that time, but when I flipped it open, rather than filled with writing, each page had a blue rose pressed into it, all except the red one in the very middle of the notebook. I set it down and saw a few pictures scattered at the bottom of the box. They were of me and…_him_. I gaped at the photos, clueless as to where they were taken and when. _I look so...happy_. The way my eyes gazed at him…_I look…so in love…_I placed the photos beside me on the ground, feeling my eyes begin to water. My attention then turned to the last mystery that was inside: a book.

I picked it up. Feeling it against my skin only further proved how ancient it was. The title was in some sort of old English that I couldn't read. I randomly flipped it open, seeing the rough pages having gradually aged and turned yellow. There were pictures of monsters – of what looked like demons – and portraits of people that I did not recognize. The men were handsome and the women were beautiful. Their appearances were unique almost alluring, even for an illustration.

"What is this?" I mumbled to myself. _I don't remember ever seeing this book. And all of these people…these pictures…I've never seen them. Did they even exist? _I turned the pages all the way to the front, and then I recognized the handwriting of a note on the back of the front cover with Takuma's signature below it. I read it to myself, "I love you-" The book slipped from my hands as I clasped them over my mouth and my eyes wide open with tears falling from the corners. My heart was pounding and I couldn't stop weeping. _I swore that I wouldn't ever cry over him again, but this time…I'm not. _I removed my hand from my face, smothered in tears as I smiled and laughed with joy, picking up the book again. I brushed my hand over the rough cover with tears dripping on to it as I continued to cry. "This was all I needed…" I enclosed it in my embrace, bringing it close to my chest to let its warmth engulf my once broken heart. The cracks mended, the wounds healed, and the holes filled. I felt so overwhelmed with happiness and _love_ that it seemed like fiction. But it wasn't. It was real and I knew…because I remembered _everything_…


	22. Takeoff

**Felt that a sweeter and more humorous chapter was needed from all the depressing ones from before. Thanks for reading and please review if you have time. Enjoy as always ^^**

**I don't own VK.**

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[Yoka's POV]

"What is this?" the chairman asked in a cheerful demeanor as I handed the form to him.

"My resignation," I replied, remaining still in my seat. He flinched, knocking his cup of tea over his desk.

"Resignation?" he repeated, hastily cleaning up the mess. He adjusted his glasses giving a quick glance at the paper before setting it down to the side. "But why?" I looked down at my hands, folded neatly in my lap.

"Because," I began, smirking to myself like a fool in a fairytale. "I'm going after Takuma, and…I don't think that counts towards my sick days."

"Can't you take an absence of leave instead? Resignation seems a little…drastic," he tried to coax, still startled by the news.

"But what I'm doing…_is_ pretty drastic." I looked up at him. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I don't care. I'm just going…to _go_." I then composed myself more professionally and added, "I don't want to cause any inconveniences, so resignation seems like the best option. But chairman…I do hope that you'll still allow Alice to continue to study here. I have enough money to pay for all her tuition and living expenses. All that I ask is that she won't lose her enrollment because of me. Please…" He gazed back at me solemnly and brought the piece of paper back up for another look. And he ripped it in half right in front of me in one simple motion.

He then smiled compassionately and told me, "Just take an absence of leave and don't worry about inconveniencing the school. We have extra spots in our dorms for Alice to stay in while you're away. And there are plenty of subs to fill in for your classes. Did you really think I'd let your professional decisions affect Alice's enrollment here? Yoshika, we're like family." He tossed the pieces of paper into the trash. "Do what you must do. But whatever it is, I _will_ _not_ approve of your resignation, at least not in this way." I felt relief with his decision and was grateful for him and what he was doing, but I didn't understand it.

"You've already done so much for Alice and me," I said to him, appearing with much on my mind. "And at a moment like this…You're still supporting me even in this foolish mess that I'm in. Why…?" He sat back in his chair, looking upon me like a father did onto his daughter. It was like a wave of tranquility washed over him as his kind eyes watched me.

Then he responded in a soothing and gentle voice, "Because you and Ichijo are living proof…of what I tried to accomplish years ago with this school…The peace that can exist among the two…and the love that can be formed…"

_The chairman…He's like the father that I never had. He's so caring and sympathetic. I really am so grateful for him. Now I can be assured that Alice will be okay. All that's left…is to find him. _

_But why the sudden motivation? Am I no longer burdened by resentment and grief? Have I tossed all that's happened into the past and forgiven him? I won't deny the negative feelings that still linger, but at the moment…they're just not as strong as how much I remember I loved him and how much I still do. But the latter question is one that I cannot answer now. It's one that I'll have to decide on when I finally face him. _

xxx

I sat in my seat, looking out the small oval window of the plane as the clouds floated by. "I've never been out of the country before," I said to myself, admiring the view. _It's kind of Ruka to help me with my plane tickets. Guess this is what it's like when you have connections. _Suddenly, a stranger sat in the seat beside me, almost making me jump from my spot and let out a small shriek.

"Ah, finally," the woman said, taking off her laced beret and letting her golden orange hair fall straight.

"Rima?" I exclaimed.

"Shhhhhh!" she quieted, with her finger to her mouth. "Quiet! People are sleeping!" I stared at her bewildered by her presence. "Can I get a glass of wine, please?" she immediately asked the flight attendant that walked by.

"Rima, what are you doing here?" I urgently asked trying to maintain a whisper as she began to tie her hair into pigtails.

"You really think I'm going to let you go to England on your own?" she responded. "You've never been there. What if you get mugged or something? Don't you know sickos _love_ tourists for a reason? It's all in the movies, ya' know." I gave a face-palm to her reaction and shook my head as I turned to the window again.

She thanked the attendant once her alcohol was delivered, and I asked, "Are you the only one here?" I got up a little and looked around me, but she grabbed me by the arm and yanked me down.

"Stop attracting unwanted attention," she said, taking a sip of her drink. "Senri's here too."

"Where? I didn't see him."

"Well, who do you think's flying this thing?" My eyes widened with shock yet again.

"What?"

"Relax! He has a license –"

"But how does that even work? Is he registered with the airline or _what_?"

"Ha, _no_!" she amusingly said, taking another drink.

"Then how did you guys even get on this plane?"

"How else? We took out the pilot and one of the flight attendants."

"OH MY GOD! YOU WHAT?" Multiple passengers threw startled looks at us, and Rima giggled.

"Oops!" she laughed, apparently enjoying herself. "That wasn't the right word to use. It's not like that. Please, we don't kill humans. We tried to get tickets the civilized and 'human' way, but the plane was full, soooo we resorted to 'our' way."

"You mean 'whacking' people?"

"It's really not a big deal. I just gave them a little shock to the neck and they slept like babies."

"Oh god!" I slapped my hands over my face in horror of what she did. "Couldn't you just take the next flight?" I questioned, so puzzled by the way this woman's brain functioned at times.

"Then who's gonna' protect you from the perverts on _this_ plane?" she put in as an actual serious reason.

"Perverts…on this plane…? You can't be serious..." I still could not comprehend her 'unique' way of thinking.

"Ya, like the man that use to sit in this seat. Totally got what he deserved, eyeing you like that! Psh!"

"Oh, no! What did you do with him?"

"The same thing I did to the flight attendant and the pilot," she replied with a mischievous grin and a spark of electricity from the tip of her fingers. "Though his was more like a Taser to the balls." She patted me on the hand. "I took care of it though. He's nicely passed out back in economy."

"I thought you said the plane was full?"

"Ya, first class and business," she told me nonchalantly, finishing the last bit of her wine.

"Wait…If there were still open seats, couldn't you just buy tickets for economy then?"

"Okay, first of all, how am I suppose to look after you if you're in business and I'm all the way back in economy? And second of all, IT'S ECONOMY!" She looked at me aghast as if I was the lunatic. "I told Ruka to get me a seat but there wasn't anything she could do. Ah well…I still got my spot." She appeared most pleased with herself while I stared at her reflecting on how in the world I was able to become such good friends with a beautiful yet insane woman.

"Wait…So if you two are posing as crew members, what if the other attendants notice?"

"Hellooo! Vampire here!" she pointed out. "How do you think I'm sitting here right now? One of them already asked me and _boom_!" She snapped her fingers and finished, self-impressed, "Memory erased!"

"I cannot believe this happened," I said, staring straight at the back of the seat in front of me with my hands on my cheeks.

"I honestly don't see the big deal," she commented, casually flipping through one of the catalogues.

_She is right in some sort of weird way. What's done is done. I'm just glad nobody got hurt…at least not seriously…_I then turned to her, wanting to ask something but a little uncertain of how to phrase it.

"Is there something you want to say?" Rima asked, glancing up at me from her browsing.

"Are…Are you here…really just to look after me?" She looked up at me, a little surprised by my question. "I mean…I know I'm basically travelling to the other side of the world and all but…Was it really necessary for you to go through all this trouble to come along?"

She closed her magazine, keeping it flat down on her lap, and she then gave me a small sincere smile and responded, "The last thing Takuma said to me was for me to look after you. So you see…It's not that I'm trying to be the crazy overprotecting friend…It's that I have an obligation. And so, to answer your last question…Yes, it _was_ necessary." There was no need for me to respond, but a simple smile back was enough to let her know of my gratefulness for her being with me.

_She may be impulsive and cold at times, but as a friend, I love her. And I'm glad she's here. Besides...It's impossible to get her off the plane now that she's had her wine..._

She then slightly tilted her hair to the side and asked me, "Since you asked me a question…Can I ask you something too?" I nodded to her and she continued, "How do you know where he is? Did you honestly just _remember_?"

"I actually wasn't a hundred percent sure at first," I replied. "But then you and Senri told me about how you two searched and were certain that he wasn't in Japan or anywhere on the eastern side. And then I knew…That it had to be right." I shrugged my shoulders with a carefree smile. "I knew…because he practically told me."

[Flashback]

[6 years ago]

_"You've never taken the subway, have you?" I asked, trying to refrain myself from laughing at him. Takuma shifted around unnaturally, looking from side to side as he took out a handkerchief and wiped the pole next to him._

_"I've seen on TV how many different people contaminate this pole with their germs, and I've read enough manga to know the many possibilities that can happen to an individual taking such transportation." He took hold of the pole and then continued with a bit of embarrassment. "But to answer your question…No." I laughed, looking off to the side out the window. "Why couldn't we just drive?"_

_"Because it's more fun taking the subway," I replied._

_"But it's…in public…" he trailed off, trying not to lose his footing from the hard jerk from the train stopping. "I can't have 'fun' with you…" he added with a cute grin. I let go of the handrail and leaned into him, reaching up to the side of his face as I gently kissed him on the lips._

_"We can still have a little fun," I said with the cutest smile I could put on. He wrapped his arm around me, the security of being in his hold, warming me from the core. I held tightly onto him when the train began to move along again._

_Then he asked, "Where exactly are we going?"_

_"It's like a little market," I told him. "Actually…It's quite big, but there's yummy food and games to play. It'll be fun. I hope you're not too tired though. I know you just got out of class and all –" His soft lips touched mine again, cutting me off in midsentence._

_"As long as I'm with you, I'll go anywhere and do anything," he assured, his benevolent green eyes gazing beautifully at me. I buried my face into his shirt, feeling my cheeks flare bright red._

_"Next time, we can go to your favorite place," I said, looking off to the side, resting against his chest._

_"My favorite place…?" he repeated, smiling. "Then we probably need to book tickets soon."_

_"Where exactly is this wonderful place that we need to buy tickets for?" I asked, curiously._

_"England," he responded, looking down at me._

_"England…? That's…far," I said a bit surprised by his answer._

_"Yes, but there's this one tea shop in London that sells the most amazing cup of rose tea," he added, nostalgically. "The atmosphere is peaceful, the surrounding's beautiful. And I think you'd love their garden where they grow the very roses used to make their tea. It's…the most magical place I've ever been."_

_"Okay!" I eagerly brought my pinky up to him. "If it's that amazing, I want to go! Promise?" His smile never wavered, and it beamed even brighter when he saw my hand. He then hooked his pinky to mine and nodded._

_"Promise…"_

[End of flashback]


	23. Happily Ever After?

**I believe this is the chapter everyone's been waiting for. Hope you enjoy it!**

**I don't own VK.**

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The horns from cars honked as the street bustled with pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles. The air was filled with the aroma of fresh bread from the local bakery nearby, and the sky was occupied by fluffy, white, cotton clouds, quietly floating above the busy streets and buildings. Takuma turned his attention from admiring the scenery back to the newspaper in his hands, but it seemed that such relaxing activities stressed him even more. Whenever his mind settled, the inevitable thoughts from before always crawled back out from hiding. He tossed the paper onto the small table and rested his chin in his hands, looking around him at the others also sitting outside of the shop. The little bell on top of the door rang as customers left and new ones entered in. He glanced inside, checking to see that all was well. When he faced forward again, he saw a woman standing directly across him, separated only by the tiny metal fence that bordered the front of the teahouse. With a petite frame and short auburn hair to her jaw, she appeared rather attractive. Her light almond coat and floral scarf added to her charm, and her uncertain actions gave off a vibe that she wasn't from around here. She was looking between the piece of paper in her hands and the small sign on top of the shop.

"Excuse me!" she then called out to him, taking notice of his attention towards her. Her fluent English caught him off guard as he could've sworn she appeared to be a foreigner. "Excuse me, sir!" she directed at him again. He looked up at her and she kindly smiled, sparking a spontaneous appeal in him. He got up and approached her, trying to put up a friendly appearance.

"Hi," she greeted, cheerfully. "I'm sorry for disrupting you, but I just wanted to double check. Is this the place known for their rose tea?"

"Yes, it is, ma'am," he answered with the smallest smile that looked as if it was forced. She gave him a delighted look and thanked him before entering in.

Takuma took his seat back at the table, opening up the book he had brought with him to begin reading. Before he could finish the page, the woman from before appeared again and came up to the seat across from him.

"Sorry to bother you again," she began in a rather shy manner now. "But is this seat taken?"

"Oh…no…" he replied.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" He gave a quick glance that she barely noticed and realized that the empty table from before was already inhabited by a young couple.

"No…Go right ahead," he told her and she sat down. He continued reading his novel, trying not to keep glimpsing up at her.

"May I ask what it is you're reading?" she then spoke with a curious look. A little startled by her gregarious nature, Takuma turned to the cover. "Dracula…I've read it before. Do you like it?"

"I do," he replied. "I've read it more than once."

"Really? Is it your favorite book?"

He shook his head and then said, "No...I actually find it quite depressing."

She tilted her head, a little puzzled, her short hair swaying to the side. "Then why're you reading it again?"

"I…don't know," he replied, looking down at the book on the table. "I guess I just feel like…like I can relate…" He looked up and saw the woman staring back at him as if moved by his words. She was about to respond when the server abruptly waltzed over and brought her tea out. The server set her teacup and the honey and sugar down on the table along with a rectangular plate separated into three sections, containing a cake and two types of handmade butter cookies.

"This looks amazing!" the woman gaped in amazement. She slowly brought the hot tea to her nose. The aroma of roses fluttered through her nostrils, rejuvenating her. She then reached for the sugar but suddenly stopped when she heard him make a sound. She looked up at him and saw that he was looking at her hand like she was making a mistake. He fidgeted unnaturally for a moment and then she asked, "Um…Is everything o-kay…?" He opened his mouth a little to speak but hesitated. "Am…I doing something wrong?"

"I uh…I'm sorry," he finally commented. "But uh…" He pointed at her hand which was holding the spoon of sugar. "If…you don't mind…?" She shook her head and set the spoon back. He then reached over, taking up the honey, and said as he poured barely two drops, "Most people assume the tea is bitter and tastes better with the sweetness." He carefully stirred the tea with the small silver spoon. "But what they don't know about the rose tea made _here_…is that just a drop or two of honey is enough to rid the bitterness and still preserve its original taste." He gently pushed the tea towards her as she never broke her gaze from his face, completely captivated by him. "Try it," he earnestly insisted. She sniffed the cup, sensing no difference in its already rosy scent, and then brought it to her mouth, taking a modest sip. The woman's cheeks suddenly blossomed, and she felt a savory sensation tingle her taste buds as the soothing warmth from the tea traveled down her throat and spread to her bosom.

"It's…incredible," she stated, unable to describe the feeling. "I can see why this place is so well known around here." She looked down at the cup, marveling at the tiny red rose petals at the bottom. "I've had rose tea before, but…theirs taste…so _unique_."

"That's because they don't use rose buds to make the tea. They use bloomed ones."

"Bloomed roses?" she said with much interest. "Is that even possible? Wouldn't that make the taste less strong?"

"Not if you know the correct way to prepare it." Takuma realized how talkative he had become all of a sudden and leaned back against his chair from being overly enthused.

"You know quite a bit about this place," the woman mentioned, bringing the cup to her mouth again. "Are you a frequent customer?" His unexpected smirk revealed the stunning smile that he had been refusing to show.

"Not quite." He ran his long slender fingers through his short blonde hair and modestly said, "I'm actually the owner." Her cup slipped from her hands, but he swiftly caught it in time.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" she hastily apologized, jumping up from her seat. She covered his hand with her napkin where some of the tea had spilt onto once he set the cup back on the table. But when she removed the cloth, his pale smooth skin was completely unscathed. "Thank god you're not hurt," she stated, still appearing worried. He didn't seem at all concerned with the mess or his own hand, but instead, he kept staring at the way she was holding him. He couldn't break his gaze from the soft skin of her fingers gently rubbing against the back of his hand, sending euphoric sparks up his arm. There was an unexplainable comfort from her touch…A feeling so serene that he felt his troubles and upsets temporarily vanish. He broke from his contemplation once she retracted her hand, the separation feeling like a debilitation and confusing him even more.

"I'm sorry…But…Have we met before…?" he asked, looking at her peculiarly.

"I doubt it," she sort of laughed to herself. "I'd remember a face like yours."

"I see…" he responded with an air of doubt still there. "I apologize then...My mistake." They both remained quiet, avoiding one another's eyes. He didn't know why, but felt an urge to speak, though he didn't know what to say. He looked down at his hands in his lap, one holding the other on the spot where her hand was seconds ago. He opened his mouth to ask but closed it again, struggling with his thoughts. How was it possible for him to have such a reaction to a complete stranger? And how could he have so easily forgotten his misdeeds and be experiencing even just a slight bit of happiness? He didn't understand…and it scared him.

"Um…" She noticed the odd look he had. "Are…you sure you're okay?"

His eyes wandered back to her, and he shook his head and apologized again, "I'm sorry. I was just…thinking about something." An itch crept up his throat, like it was pushing him to continue with what he wanted to ask, and even with a soft cough, it still remained. He rubbed his neck, pretending to adjust the collar of his shirt. Unable to withstand the discomfort, he finally asked her, "Would…you like to see the garden…?" His invitation surprised her as well as himself.

"Are…you sure? Isn't it…a little inappropriate for a nonemployee to –"

"Don't worry," he told her, standing up. "You're with me, so nobody will question that."

An excited smile formed from her lips and she answered, "I would love to then." He returned her acceptance with a small grin and took his blazer that was on the back of the chair. The woman followed him into the teahouse, seeing the employees give him a nod or a glance of recognition as they entered deeper into the shop. They went through the doors and into the kitchen where several people bustled around the room. Some were preparing desserts to be served while others baked fresh ones. Overcome with curiosity, the girl went over to a counter with several containers of dried pink rose petals. She watched as one of the workers, a woman, approached and took a container. Takuma appeared next to her as she examined the products inside. "You weren't kidding," she said, staring in awe. "You really do use…the petals..."

He smiled and then said, "Don't get too surprised here. You still haven't seen what's behind that door." She turned to the glass door he mentioned not several meters away from them. Without another sound, she slowly walked over and peered out. Sunlight shined through in every direction of the glasshouse, shining onto the abundance of color and life and flaunting the stunning landscaping. He opened the door, allowing the soothing scent of freshly bloomed roses to overwhelm her and gradually drift her inside. She walked along the stoned path, glancing at every rosebush she could. There were pink ones, red ones, orange, yellow, vermillion, and even blue. She knelt down to the blue roses, gently touching a bud with the tip of her fingers.

"How…" She looked up at him, who never left her side. "How is it possible? Blue roses…They don't naturally exist…"

His smile never faded and he replied, "I'm afraid that's a secret I can't share." She then turned to the bush of white ones not far from them.

"On the menu, I saw that you could choose the type of rose. Is there a difference?"

"Yes, there actually is," he answered, caressing the flower's petals. "Each color produces a distinct taste of its own. Most people assume that the blue ones are superior, since they appear exotic and are the most expensive from our selection. But those that actually try all of them will no doubt fall for the red roses."

"Why is that?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he strolled down to the red rosebush and answered, "The reasons vary among people, but what many have said is that the red roses' amicable flavor seems to go beyond taste…That once ingested, it actually feels as if the very passion it symbolizes touches their souls and consumes them. At least…that's what I hear." She admired the zeal he had in him when he spoke and the way he gazed at the blood colored flower and lose himself in its beauty. He plucked off one of the red roses that had bloomed along with its stem and handed it to her. The flower smelt full of life when she brought it close to her nose. Just one inhalation was enough to kindle her spirit.

She then looked over to him and asked, "Is the red rose your favorite tea?"

"Me?" he responded, taken aback. She nodded with a kind smile, carefully twirling the rose between her fingers, avoiding its thorns. "It was."

"Was?" she stopped fiddling with the flower. "What changed your mind?" His hands were in his pockets when he turned to the flowers surrounding them, his face showing a withheld sadness that even his empty smile could not hide.

He was uncertain of how truthful a response he should give, but seeing that there was no harm in being honest to someone he may never meet again, he replied, "I hurt someone very important to me, who loved red roses…And now, every time I drink it…I no longer feel that passion that it embodies. I guess…I just don't have a soul for it to _touch_ anymore." He waited for a response but received nothing but silence. And instead, he found her looking down at the grass, trying to not make her crying obvious. "Uh! I'm sorry!" he panicked, about to place his hands on her shoulders to comfort her but suddenly stopping in hesitation. "I didn't mean to be all depressing and everything! It's just–you asked–and I–I thought I'd be honest–And–Please don't cry!"

"You're so stupid, Takuma," she cut him off, suddenly speaking in Japanese. She wiped her eyes dry from the tears and looked up at him with flushed cheeks from grinning. "Oops! I guess…There's no point in hiding anymore." A shock struck his body, freezing his every muscle. He stared back at her, having felt his heart suddenly stop beating from hearing a voice he thought he'd never hear again.

[Yoka's POV]

"I guess minoring in English really helped get rid of that accent of mine," I thought to myself, removing the wig and letting my straight black hair fall against my back. I wiped my face and gently took off the fake eyelashes and the mole on my cheek. "Ow," I winced as I took out the contacts in my eyes. Finally me again, I looked him in the eye as he stared back at me, robbed of words and thoughts. "I found you…" I told him, trying not to cry with how much joy it was for me to see him since regaining my memories.

"How…?" was all he could say, still staring at me in disbelief.

"You told me…When you rode the subway for the first time," I answered, feeling my body warm from seeing him. "You promised to bring me here…So that I could try that _amazing_ cup of rose tea. And so…Here I am..."

"You…remember…?" he was hardly able to say. I nodded and wiped away another tear that fell.

"I remember…everything." I could tell there was so much he wanted to tell me but couldn't. His jaw clenched and he turned around to walk away. "Hey!" I shouted, blocking his path. _Well, that wasn't the reaction I was hoping for._

"You shouldn't have come," he finally said with painful eyes, but I didn't let them break my spirit as I tried to keep my smile up.

"I came for you," I truthfully told him. "Just like how you came for me."

"That was my mistake," he responded, moving pass me. "You should've learned from it." I intercepted him again with my arm stretched out, stopping him in place.

_Oh my god! He can be such a jackass when he wants to._

"Why are you doing this, Takuma?" I then asked, his reply upsetting me. "Why are you blaming yourself for everything?"

"Because everything _IS_ my fault!" I could hear his heart race as he continued, "How can you stand there and smile at me after all I've done to you?"

_His heart…is filled with contempt towards himself that it's …saddening to see… _

"Because I love you," I shot back at him.

"Don't let love blind you like it did to me," he coldly retorted.

"Blind me?" His ignorance began to irritate me. "Love didn't blind me. It drove me crazy. It was because of how much I loved you that I couldn't stand to _be_ without you! And the only way to continue living was to forget…To forget how much you loved me, how much I missed your smile and how happy I was with you…because every time I thought about it, I _hated_ you even more for abandoning me! There! Was that what you wanted to hear…of how much I hated you?" He couldn't even look me in the eye as guilt choked him by the throat.

"If you hated me so much…Why'd you change your mind?"

My eyes wondered away from him as I frankly answered, "I haven't." He didn't react in any way like he was expecting such a disheartening answer. "Because I still have one thing to ask you." I noticed a slight surprise in him as he looked up at me. "Just one simple question that only requires a yes or no answer… Before Senri's father attacked the school six years ago…That normal day when you and the others were leaving for the holiday…" I looked sternly back at him, not fearing the answer. "At that exact moment when I said I loved you, and you held on to me…Did you know…about the attack…?"

His eyes quivered a little and his jaw clenched tighter, but his gaze never left mine. He then answered in a quiet and honest voice, "No…" I felt an instant sense of ease overwhelm me. That last hole in my heart finally sealed and once again I felt whole.

"I've asked myself that question so many times," I smirked, thinking about it. "I tried to justify how I felt about you. But that question, that one small question always made me doubt. Now…I know the answer, and…nothing else seems to matter."

"You can't just shove all that's happened under the carpet and forget about them," he said. "I've done…too much to be forgiven so easily."

All I wanted was to hold him in my arms again, but I knew that a simple 'I forgive you' wasn't what he wanted to hear. _Why are you so angry with yourself, Takuma? I don't understand why you still think everything is your fault? _I thought for a moment and then said to him, "You're right. I can't just _give_ you my forgiveness…" He looked away, but then I held out my hand to him. "So then…Are you willing to earn it?" His beautiful green eyes instantly darted back at me. I gave him a comforting smile and continued, "If you want a second chance…To work for my forgiveness…Then all you have to do is take my hand." For the first time, I saw tears form from his eyes as he covered his mouth, looking away. "If you still want me," I said, my voice softly shaking from fighting back the tears myself. "Then please…Please just take my hand. That's all you have to do to let me know…that you don't want me to hate you forever…" I expected his warm fingers to be clasping on to mine, but all that I got was the empty air in my hand. I bit down on my lip, trying not to let the sound of my crying escape me as my hand was still lifelessly stretched out. _It's no use...It wasn't enough…_As I began to retract my arm, his hand suddenly seized mine and pulled me into his embrace. I felt all his love and emotions pour out from him with his arms around me as he tightly held in fear that I would escape from his hold. I gently stroked the back of his head with my arms around his neck, and my cheek touching against his. I felt his heavy breaths along my skin and gently closed my eyes, feeling the rhythm of his heaving chest and letting the last of my sorrows fall. I never thought that I'd feel this security again…this never-ending sense of hope. I began to smile as I told him, "That's right…And don't you ever let me go…"

_Even though I said that my forgiveness had to be earned…It wasn't true…Because I already gave it to him. For as long as I had known him, he was always seeking my acceptance. And this...This was no different. To love someone is to love the good they've done…and to learn to accept the mistakes they've made. Just like he said before – there is more to a rose than its beauty…Its thorns. He wasn't the only one whose thorns pricked the person that held it. We all had…And we all accepted that the thorns were part of what made the whole rose such a marvel of its kind. So…After all this drama…Can I finally say that this is my happy ending?_

_Damn right I can. _

NSS Part 2: A Smile Apart/End


	24. Epilogue: A Promise

**For those that didn't know or don't remember, noble/aristocrat vampires are not immortal in the series. They just live for a VERY long time. Only purebloods are immortal.**

**Enjoy! :D**

**I don't own VK.**

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[68 years later]

Takuma buttoned up his navy coat, the wind stronger than he anticipated. The handsome noble hardly looked older than his mid-twenties, his blonde hair the shortest it had been in years. He gave a quick glimpse over his shoulder. A young girl, appearing only eighteen years old, followed behind him, a red and black parasol designed with a rose pattern in one hand, blocking the sun, and three red roses carefully wrapped together in the other. Her unusual eyes shifted between green and blue, depending on the reflection of the light, and her long, wavy black hair elegantly floated with the wind.

"Tired already, Kazumi?" he teased.

"Psh! No! It's just the sun!" she replied, giving the fiery light a quick glimpse before shielding its rays from her again. "It _fries_ me every time!"

He chuckled and continued walking, saying aloud, "You should borrow some umbrellas from Aunt Rima. I hear she has one to match every outfit." She laughed, her striking smile so beautiful that it radiated her exquisiteness. She hurried her steps, catching up to him as they passed several more tombstones and angelic statues. They stopped at a small garden with rosebushes circling it and at the center was a granite gravestone with roses sculpted into it. Kazumi brushed the tail of her coat aside as she knelt down, careful not to wreck the garden with her high heel boots. She examined the bouquet of flowers that were already by the grave.

"It looks like Aunt Rima and Uncle Senri dropped by today," she said, looking up at him, standing beside her.

"It appears so," he responded, appreciating the sight. She set the roses beside the other flowers and then looked at the grave.

"I…miss her…" she mentioned with a sad smile, gently running her hand over the engraving on the stone. She felt a sense of comfort from his hand on her shoulder.

"So do I," she heard him say in a small voice. She stood up, wiping her eyes before her tears fell. Takuma tucked her hair behind her ear, his bright eyes gazing at her. "You…look so much like your mother," he told her with a warm smile. Her eyes began to redden again, and she hugged him.

"I love her..._a lot_," she said, holding tightly on to him. "I hope she knows that." She then looked up, her cheeks filled with color and compassion as her lips formed into a smile. "And I love you too…daddy. Don't forget that." He smiled back, returning his affections with his gentle green eyes, and she then said "I'll let you have a moment."

[Ichijo's POV]

I watched her for a minute as she walked away towards the front gate and then turned to the grave again. I unwrapped the one single rose in my hand – a dark red rose with its leaves and thorns still on the stem – and set it with the other flowers.

"I miss you…so much…" I then said, looking at the engraved stone before me. Though I seemed sad, tears did not overwhelm me and my voice did not crack. I remained calm and serene. "It's been tough…Trying to explain to Kazumi why you made the choice you did. Even with a family of her own, she still finds it difficult to understand why, but... eventually she will. She's a smart woman...Just like you." I glanced down at the grass, my faint grin disappearing. "I…" I paused, trying to find the right words. "…I know we've talked a lot…Preparing ourselves for when this day came…Preparing _me_…" My hand fiddled with the gold ring on my finger. I felt a weight on my shoulders and took a deep breath, easing the pressure. "I still remember the promise that I made, but…I'm sorry…I can't keep it anymore."

[Flashback]

[66 years ago] (For those that don't want to do the math, Yoka is 27 at this time.)

"_What're you doing?" I asked, amused from watching her stretch her hand out in front of her and examine the gold band on her finger._

"_Yoshika Ichijo…" she muttered, tilting her head and suddenly grinning to herself. "…I don't think I'll ever get use to that."_

_I laughed and remarked, "Neither will I. But I think it suits you." I gazed out at the city, watching the flickering lights and hearing the waves below us. I turned to her, feeling her hold on to my hand and lean her head on my arm, her fingers feeling against the identical ring that I had to hers._

"_I can't believe I took this step." She continued to look at our hands holding on to one another's. "When I was little…I was so convinced that this would never happen. That I'd never do it…And here I am...Sitting on top of the London Bridge on my honeymoon…"_

"_People change over time," I replied._

"_Hmm…Time…" I heard her say. "That's something that you have…more than I do…" I twitched, feeling my body stiffen and then turned to her, seeing her watch the city on the other side._

"_Yoka..." I stopped, carefully thinking of my response on the sensitive subject. We never really talked about the future, and it seemed difficult to now. "You still can if you want. Yuki said she would."_

"_I know," she replied, smiling. "But…I don't want to." She looked down at the sea underneath us, swinging her legs back and forth lightheartedly. "I know it seems selfish of me, but…I want this…To be me…And to die as me." Her eyes finally looked up at me and her hand reached up to my face, the warmth of her fingers caressing my skin. "I love you as what you are…But what you are is not what I am." I placed my hand over hers, keeping it against my cheek._

"_If this is what you want," I responded. "Then I'm happy." She looked off to the side, smiling to herself still._

"_I want you to promise me something," she then said, turning back to me._

"_What is it?"_

"_Promise me first," she insisted, her sweet smile not going away._

"_Fine...I promise."_

"_Pinky promise?" She brought her hand up with her pinky out. I smiled back, curious and amused of what she was about to reveal._

"_Pinky promise." She took my hand once I promised her, never letting go, and switched her gaze back to the luminous buildings of the city. "Now what is it?"_

"_That when my time comes…You'll move on…And not be held back by me…That you'll take care of our family. Meet new people. Make new memories…And be happy. You have so much time that I don't want you to feel like I'm the only one that you can give it to. Other people deserve it as well. Don't stop living life because of me." She looked up at me, giving me that same loving and selfless smile she did when I held her hands at the altar. "Remember. You promised!" Though I wanted to take back my words, I couldn't. I couldn't bear to see that wonderful smile disappear. My arm wrapped around her shoulders, bringing her closer into me._

_"I know...I promise." Those two words were the hardest things I ever said._

_"Thank you, Takuma," she quietly said, closing her eyes, feeling the cool breeze pass her face and through her hair. The thought of losing her was crippling and unthinkable._

_"I love you," was all I could tell her, and it was all I could think of at the moment._

[End of flashback]

I didn't take my eyes off the stone. "You said that you wanted me to be happy…But if I kept my promise, I wouldn't be." The weight over my shoulders began to lift with every thought I transformed into words. "You were my first love…my first kiss…And you'll be my last." I then smiled, feeling a wave of bliss and warmth grow in me. "Don't worry. I won't put everything on hold because of this. I'll continue to live out my life, enjoying every moment of loving our daughter…and loving you." I glimpsed over at the empty spot of fresh soil next to the grave. "I can do this…Because I know I'll see you again. But before then, I'll promise you one thing…No more empty smiles. No more fake joy. From now on till I see your face again and even after…I'll never stop smiling for you…I love you, Yoka."

_I won't say that I no longer feel any tint of sadness. But I will say that I'm happy. I'm happy to have met her…To have fought for her…To have loved her and to continue to love her._

_She wanted to leave this world the same way she came in – as a human. Many people – even Kazumi – find it difficult to understand why she made the choice she did. Some thought it was out of pride, while others saw it as being selfish for leaving those you loved behind. But it was neither. To have forced her to become something she wasn't…That would've been selfish. I am glad things happened the way they did. For it was a human that I fell in love with and a human I watched finally rest her eyes. To know that I was able to make her happy even till the last second is all that matters._

_It always seems like fate does all it can to separate us. But in the end, it's always fate that leads us back to each other._

I slipped my hands into the pockets of my coat, approaching the front entrance of the cemetery. Kazumi stood up from leaning against the cemented pillar, her carefree face shaded by her parasol, blocking the sun.

"You seem rather _happy_," she commented once I was next to her.

"I do _feel_…a lot happier," I responded with a grin. She hooked onto my arm as the two of us walked to the car.

"Hey, daddy…Tell me the story about you and mom…How you guys met…"

"Haven't we told you before?"

"Yes, but…I love hearing it."

"That's a…_long_ story."

"We've got time."

"Time…" I smirked to myself. "We sure do…" I opened the car door for her to get in, and then I began, "I was eighteen when I saw her at Cross Academy for the first time..."

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**I knew I was going to write this epilogue since I wrote chapter 1 for part 2. It was actually kinda hard to write because it marked the end for this story. This is the final chapter. There will be no more updates. I ended up changing so much of the story than I had originally anticipated, but I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I hope you all feel the same way. Thank you for persevering and finishing my story. It means a lot. And to those that reviewed, thank you so much. All your comments and encouragements were my motivation to finish.**

**~ gamergirl104**


	25. Author's Update

**Soooooo after finishing up Part 2, I realize that I'm not quite ready to lay this story to rest, and yet, neither am I ready nor wanting to write a sequel. After rereading Part 1 for the hell of it, I find parts that don't flow right with me. Considering that I wrote it almost two years ago, including that ridiculous year-long break (I'm SO sorry about that...), I'd say that Part 1 deserves to be refurbished more or less.**

**SO! I just wanted to let those that are interested know that I'm going to be rewriting Never Stop Smiling Part 1. Some chapters I'll just correct grammatically and others I'll change quite a bit. I'll let you know what's up at the beginning of every one. And I'll definitely be throwing in several new chapters in the beginning/middle of the story to better flesh out the developing relationship between the two characters. Thanks for reading this note and lemme know what you think!**

**~ gamergirl104**

**P.S. This won't be opened as a new story. I'll be updating everything in the already existing Part 1 story.**


	26. POSSIBLE SEQUEL!

**So I know I'm suppose to be busy with rewriting part 1 like I said before - and I know my updates haven't been the most pleasing time wise T_T sorry! - HOWEVER, I got something for ya'll. One person voiced out for a sequel/spin-off to A Smile Apart revolving around the daughter after I finished the story. I kept the idea in the back of my head since then, but never really considered it cause of how much work it would take to do another new story. But one beautiful sunny day, when I was writing the next rewrite for part 1, an idea for a story came to me. And so I went ahead and wrote a little bit of the first chapter. Check it out below :)**

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?

Chapter 1 ?

I carefully peaked into the room from the doorway, using all my strength to silence my breaths. My parents and their friend, Kaien Cross, sat in the center of the room by the fire. Mother's back faced me, but from just seeing the absence of my father's smile on his visage was enough for me to know that something was not right.

"He's been watching you all this time, both of you," Cross said with unease. "And he's pieced everything together."

"Has he now," my father softly responded. The indifference he had never shown, startling me.

"You're taking things rather calmly," Cross inferred, straightening up from leaning forward.

"We've been expecting this," I then heard my mother put in. "Either Yagari, another hunter, or even a vampire…_Someone_ was bound to find out sooner or later. We just hoped that whoever it was, they'd understand. But…Well, like I said…We 'hoped'."

"It's not that Yagari doesn't _understand_. He's just so…_molded _by the system and the rules, that he…can't let it go, especially since he's the head of the hunters." His stern eyes behind his round glasses contrasted so much from the benevolent ones I remembered from before whenever he visited. He then warned my father, "He _will_ come for you."

"As the top vampire hunter to date, I have no doubt he will."

"This is serious, Ichijo!" Cross bellowed, startling me almost to the point of squealing. His raised voice sounded nowhere near the mellowness that I was used to from him. I grabbed on tighter against the frame of the door, trying to conceal myself but wanting to get closer. "He will hunt you like game," was the next thing I picked up once I calmed my heartbeat and refocused on the conversation.

I saw my mother place her hand on my father's. She must've smiled at him in some way because it was only hers that was able to make him smile back the way he did. He looked down at the table for a second, organizing his thoughts.

Then he brought his gaze back to Cross and said, "If Yagari's coming for me, it's just _me_ he wants."

"Hunters are driven to only kill vampires. They won't even consider humans as targets. Yoka will be fine."

"And Kazumi?"

"Classes resume next week. She will be safe at the academy." What my father said in reply, I never knew. For one of the maids suddenly appeared.

"Miss Ichijo," she called out to me, quickly coming to my side. "We couldn't find you in your room." She saw the distress that clung to my face and the tension of the conversation in the other room through the crack of the door. Brushing aside her frown, she smiled graciously and placed her hand on my arm. "Come now, miss," she said, leading me away down the hall. "Some matters are better off not known."

I didn't bother inquiring the maid of the situation. She wouldn't have known the details, only what my mother or father told her – that whatever it was they were talking about with Cross, I was not to hear a word of it.

"If you need anything, please let me know," she said once we reached my bedroom. She softly shut the door as she left, leaving me alone in my chamber once again. I went over to my desk and saw the letter that I had received earlier this morning.

"_He will come for you." _I couldn't get those words out of my head, the meaning behind them and the secrets that my parents obviously were keeping. I picked up the piece of paper, admiring the beautiful handwriting in black ink. _And here I was, going about with life like I had everything figured out. What are they not telling me? _My room felt emptier than ever, and loneliness revisited me. I took my seat and opened the middle drawer filled with an assortment of exquisitely printed paper. Carefully picking one, I took up my pen and began writing to temporarily free myself from these shackles of despair.

_Dear Keiji,_

_I need you . . ._

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**I know it's short, but it's just an intro/glimpse. Please post a review and let me know what you think about it: how much you love it, how much you hate it, anything to let me get a feel of whether or not my idea for the story is worth diving in to. Thanks for your support.**


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